The Wayward Knight
by Drk Knght
Summary: Book 2 of Knight series! It's been a year since the events of the KoW. Knight now lives a new, peaceful life in Xian. But that ends when someone seeks his power. Knight will either have to face his past or be consumed by the evil chasing him. R&R! Plz!
1. Introduction

**The Wayward Knight**

Written By: **Drk Knght**

**~ Introduction ~**

When relationships shatter and the foundations that held one's trust completely crumble away from right underneath one's feet, the result can be both surprising and devastating. Like in war, a frontal attack can usually be seen and countered; but, it is the attacks that come from other directions that trip up some of the most experienced generals. A lot of the things that people worry about either never happen or are not of great threat when they arrive. It is the things that pop up suddenly that can knock someone sideways.

Coming to terms with and accepting one's past can be one of the greatest struggles someone faces on their own. One can cave into his past and use it as an excuse for his action or lack of action and thereby label himself as a helpless victim. Or one can accept his past and what cannot be changed and move forward. If that person learns to accept his past in its entirety and move on, then he can continue to progress down the road to become a victor. There are _only_ two paths: to be the victim or the victor. Which is it to be?

With his purpose lost to clear his name, Knight, as he introduces himself, now seeks a new way of life in the village of Xian. However, despite his best efforts to live his new life, things seem to be falling apart at the seams. He had hoped to gain peace from all the troubles of his past, but after a whole year, the events of his past finally start to catch up with him. Someone seeks his life and his powers and will stop at nothing to get him. Will Knight finally face his past and come to his senses in time or will he be consumed by the darkness seeking his life and remain lost forever known as the Wayward Knight?


	2. Prologue

**Prologue**

The sun shone brightly upon the land of Weyard as it cast its warming rays upon the shores of the southeastern Angaraian continent beachhead. Not a cloud could be seen in the sky for miles and miles. A cooling breeze blew in from off of the ocean, filling the air with the refreshing smell that could only be associated with the ocean. Waves gently rolled up the shore line and then retreated back into the sea. The sounds of calling seagulls echoed overhead as a small group of the birds glided in the air scouring the land for food. Others were contented to waddle on foot in search of their food.

A lone bird from above spotted something of interest and decided to swoop down and check it out. The creature landed nearby and cocked its head slightly looking for danger. It then ran a few steps, stopped, and cocked its head again. The bird ran a few more steps toward its target and stopped. Peering cautiously at the item, the bird took a few more steps towards it when suddenly, something moved. Behind the bird's target, a large object suddenly rolled over and a small shiny object streaked through the air at the bird. Startled the seagull took off into the air squawking, no doubt cursings, at whatever the larger mass was.

Impaled in the sand where the bird once stood was a small, grayish colored kunai knife. Behind the knife lay a small mat with an open box of food on top of it.

"Stupid birds," the voice cursed. "That one almost had my lunch! How's a girl supposed to sunbathe in peace without having to worry if her food is gonna be stolen!" The girl who'd thrown the knife reached over and pulled it out of the sand and put it back into her bag. She then swiped the sand off of her arms and off of her two piece purple, white polka dotted bathing suit.

"Feizhi! Calm down! They're only doing what's natural: scavenging for food," another voice piped in.

"Well they can go scavenge elsewhere!" Feizhi leaned back down trying to ignore the screeching of the seagulls. "Ugh! Why won't they shut up?"

"Probably 'cause they can see that you have food laying around. Anyways, just try to relax and enjoy your time out here. It's not often that we have time off."

"I know that, Maranda. You don't need to remind me." Feizhi sighed as she felt the cooling ocean wind blow through her violet hair. "Father's kept me so busy at the dojo that I forget sometimes to relax. And I've also been working hard ever since those travelers came through our town a while back."

"Travelers?" Maranda repeated confused.

"Oh right! You weren't here then were you." Feizhi reached behind her head and rested on her hands. She briefly turned to look at the short, slightly heavy-set brunette before looking back up at the sky and continuing. "A group of about four travelers came through town in pursuit of another group that had committed some serious crimes back in a town called Vale. One of the members, Isaac I think, came into the dojo and exhibited some unusual power. I think he called it Psynergy. Anyway, I had a vision of Hsu in danger. And it was thanks to his group that Hsu was rescued from almost certain death."

"Oh yeah! I remember people saying something bout that! I think that happened about a month before I moved here, right?"

"Hmmm… Yeah, sounds about right."

"So this Isaac must have been some guy, huh?" Maranda said with a smile trying to picture him in her mind.

"Yeah…" Feizhi said dreamily. "He sure was. He was a tall blond haired, blue eyed warrior with a kind, compassionate heart. Even though helping Hsu would put his group farther behind, he still took the time to help us. That's a real man."

"Wow! He sounds like a pretty amazing guy!" Maranda simply gazed up into the blue heavens dreaming about finding her "knight-in-shining-armor" someday. "You know, someday, I'm gonna marry a guy who has blond hair and blue eyes."

"Really?" Feizhi said with raised brow.

"I told my mom that too and she was all like 'don't limit yourself to just one type of guy' and 'there are many other good looking guys who don't have blond hair and blue eyes.' But, whatever. I'll show her. I'm gonna find him and we're gonna live together and be hap…"

Loud squawking a few dozens paces down the beachhead interrupted Maranda from finishing what she had to say. "What's going on over there?"

Both girls turned to look at the source of the disturbance. A number of seagulls swooped down from the air and landed on the beach near a larger number of gulls that had gathered around something. A couple of the birds started fighting amongst themselves as the squawking grew even louder.

"Now _that_, is really annoying!" Maranda admitted as she looked from Feizhi to the birds.

"I know, isn't it?"

A single bird broke away from the pack and started to fly in the air towards the two girls. A couple of other birds gave chase and started to fight the first bird for whatever it had in its mouth. The first bird fought desperately to keep its prize but in the struggle, it dropped something out of its mouth. The object fluttered down towards the girls before landing a few feet from Maranda.

"What is it?" Feizhi asked. A tingle in the back of her neck told her that something wasn't right.

"It's a piece of cloth…" Maranda said confused as she picked it up and examined it. "Weird… It's stained with something… Almost looks like blood…"

Feizhi furrowed her brow and looked around the sand trying to recall why this same situation and this same conversation seemed so familiar. It was like a… a deja vu. "Weird… For some reason, I feel like this has already happened. Like… I've seen this in my dreams or something…"

"Really? That's weird." Maranda said as she continued to study the cloth feeling the soft fabric in her fingers. _This is really nice material though…_ she thought. _I wonder where it came from…_

Feizhi turned to look over at the squawking birds and stood up.

"What's up?" Maranda asked.

"I… I don't know… For some reason I'm getting a weird feeling like someone is in trouble or something." Feizhi peered over at the birds more closely. She turned her head and motioned, "Come on, Maranda. Let's go check out what the big commotion is all about. If anything, I just want to chase these birds away."

"I hear 'ya!" Maranda agreed.

As soon as Maranda was on her feet, both females ran over to the group of quarreling and screeching birds hoping to scare them away. The tactic worked! The gulls scattered and flew up into the air screeching cursings at the girls.

"It worked!" Maranda said as she looked up at the gulls and sneered. "That'll teach…"

"Look! On the beach! A body!" Feizhi screamed.

Both girls looked and saw the interest of the birds. Indeed, it was a body! It looked like a younger boy in his late teen years. His blond hair was matted and frayed and there were cuts and bruises all over his body. The person's clothes were torn up no doubt from the gulls. His right hand was clenched around something that was partially buried in the sand. Feizhi instantly recognized the object as a sword.

"Is he… dead?" Maranda whispered.

"I… I… I dunno…" Feizhi inched closer as she felt every muscle in her body tense. Sweat began to bead up on her forehead and roll down her face. "He… doesn't look dead… I think…" Tentatively, she reached her hand out to touch the boy. Her hand visibly shook as it got closer to him. Feizhi swallowed hard and gently tapped the boy's arm. _It's cold but that could be just from the water._

"Well?" Maranda said as she slowly circled around to get a better look at him. The boy had a healing scar across his cheek but was for the most part pretty good looking.

Feizhi breathed in confidence and exhaled her fears and finally rested her hand on his arm. It was slightly warm. _I was right! He is still alive! Let me just find his wrist and…_ Feizhi felt his wrist and could barely detect the steady pulsing of blood.

"He's still alive. But he needs attention right away."

"Well? Uh… what are we supposed to do?" Maranda asked somewhat frantically.

"Help me get him back to the village. They'll know exactly how to help him."

WK WK WK WK

Light slowly began to flood his vision as his eyes slowly parted. Feeling began to return to his numbed body and he slowly began to become aware of his surroundings. Whatever he was resting on was soft and there was something wrapped around him keeping him warm. He inhaled sharply and barely began to sit up slowly.

"Ohh… you're awake!"

Through squinted eyes, he lazily looked over at the person next to him who had spoken those words. A young, slender lady sat by his bedside with eyes glistening with the color of amethyst and with hair matching the color of her eyes. Her smile was warm and inviting.

"Who…?" he began.

"Shhh…" the girl hushed as he helped him lay back down. "You need your rest. My name is Feizhi and you are in the town of Xian now. My friend and I found you lying on the beach and we had you brought here and had your wounds treated."

"Ohh…" the boy responded briefly looking her over. _She's kinda cute. _He felt twangs of pain shoot through his back and then subside as if to get his attention back from staring at the girl awkwardly. He moved his hand up to his shoulder and felt the wrappings of bandages where his wounds had been. He moved his hand across his chest and then up to his face. His fingers stopped when they came across an uneven section of his skin. Suddenly, his mind raced back to the exact night, the exact moment when he had gotten this scar on his face. He felt his pulse race faster and his breathing increased.

"Are… you okay?" the girl asked placing her hand on his arm.

The boy felt the smooth caress of the girl's hand on his arm and felt himself calming down. He took a deep breath and tried to shove his previous memories back into the remotest part of his mind hoping to forget about those things that had happened. The boy then looked over at the girl with his blue eyes and replied, "Yeah. I'm fine."

"Good! I'm glad to hear it!" Feizhi removed her hand from his arm and stretched and yawned.

The boy observed her movements and the subtle messages that she gave off. One thing was immediately clear to him: she looked absolutely exhausted. He figured that she must have been up all night watching over him. He had no idea how far it was from where she had found him and to where he was now; however, the boy figured that the journey must have been very tiring for her.

The door opened up and another female entered the room. She had brown, shoulder length hair and brown eyes to match. This girl, though not as slender as the first, had a very adorable face. For her size, the boy thought, _Hmm… She's kinda cute too._

"Ohh! He's awake is he?" the girl stated obviously as she walked over closer to the bed.

"Yeah. Woke up just a few moments ago," Feizhi responded.

"Well my name is Maranda Aker. What's your name?" she asked the boy.

"I…uhh… My name…" he hesitated for a moment. "My name is Knight."

"It's nice to meet you, Knight," Maranda said with a slight bow.

"Well, Knight," Feizhi started, "I don't know how long you'll be here but I've made arrangements for you to stay here as long as you need too. My father owns the dojo next door and has agreed to meet with you later if you're interested."

Knight nodded.

"And—and I'll be here to help you as well!" Maranda said quickly as she felt her face flush with color.

"Well thank you both. I appreciate it."

"I think that you need your rest. We can talk later," Feizhi said as she stood up. "Come on, Maranda, let's give the man his rest."

"All right! See 'ya later, Knight!" Maranda waved and headed out the door.

"Goodbye, sir!" Feizhi said as she too headed out of the room and shut the door behind her.

Knight waved goodbye to both girls. He then placed his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. _I finally made it here. _He grinned as he thought, _I'm beginning to like Xian already._


	3. Chapter 1: The Peace of Xian

**~ Chapter 1: The Peace of Xian ~**

The light from the celestial being Sol had long since set in the sky leaving in its place a dull fading light that was quickly overwhelmed and consumed by the darkness. The only illumination of the cobblestone square was the occasional appearance of the celestial light reflected by the night being Luna. However, there streamed light from the windows of the local bar and pub where a group of citizens and tourists alike were enjoying their "night in the town" and were busy drinking away to their heart's content.

The atmosphere inside was anything but calming and relaxing and the chatter from the stumbling patrons was enough to make one go insane. As with any drink that intoxicates, the inhibitions of most of the patrons were long since gone and there could be heard numerous sounds of glass shattering and people starting fights only to collapse seconds later from overexertion and consumption of way too much alcohol.

Card games, each game in varying stages of play, were in full swing at many of the tables and each of the players glanced at each other and winced with narrow eyes at the others hoping to view the cards of the other participants or any flaw in their features that would give away a bluff. A shout from one of the tables at the declaration of a winner soon turned into a brawl over cheating and such of the like.

In a separate darker corner of the bar a group of patrons, some standing and some sitting, were assembled together for some reason. The rough, burly group of men who stood in the corner watched the other patrons brawl and beat each other with all sorts of items from bottles to chairs and even with shoes. It would almost seem crazy not to come armed in a place this out of control. But hidden beneath their flowing robes were concealed short swords for protection and defense.

Behind those guards was the meeting of two people: one of which was the most powerful man of the criminal underworld while the other was merely a client working for him. The client wore a pair of white hakama pants and a brown colored kimono shirt which was covered by a lighter colored khaki brown coat. And wrapped around his head was a headband meant to keep his lengthy brown hair from his eyes. On the ground next to him, carefully hidden but easily accessible, was his katana blade.

The other man, the criminal underlord, wore clothing that shrouded his figure and hid his size. He wore a long black cape that wrapped around his neck and body the length of it long enough to hide his feet and his mouth and part of his nose from view. On his head he wore a hood that was low enough and deep enough that the shadows induced hid his face from view. But due to the dim lighting in this area anyways, the chances of seeing his facial features were close to impossible.

Sitting right next to the shadow of a man was his most trusted bodyguard, a female ninja warrior from the town of Xian. Her skills were nothing less than amazing and ever since she was left as an orphan after her father's death in battle she had honed what she had learned in order to find her father's killer and bring him to justice. Even though she was barely nineteen, she was already being regarded as the best and most feared bodyguard in the underworld. The speed at which she moved seemed to match that of the wind. Her violet tinted hair was tied up into a small pony tail and her golden eyes glazed over the crowd trying to sense any sort of trouble. Her beauty was captivating beyond measure. Her features were not entirely characteristic of a typical female ninja: she was actually very attractive to look upon even in her garb. She, too, wore a dark cape which concealed any weapons she might have concealed beneath the confines of her clothing.

"Are you sure this…place is safe?" the man in the khaki robes nervously spoke as he glanced around precariously at his current situation wondering if this was indeed a good idea.

The shadow-man merely chuckle in a deep tone and replied in a rather casual tone. "Despite the rowdiness of this bar and the relative danger of being with so many drunken fools, this chaotic bar is oddly enough the safest location for our meeting. You needn't worry yourself. If anything does go awry then I have those bodyguards behind you for your protection. And, if necessary, my lovely bodyguard here would be put to use."

"What? Wait a minute? You want me to believe that I can trust my life to that _girl_ there?"

Scarce were the words out of his mouth when suddenly his face came crashing down to the table shaking the few drinks and items on the table around violently. His arms were suddenly constricted and he found it most difficult to even move a muscle. Then as his eyes flashed open they glimmered at the sight of a razor sharp kunai knife pointed at his face mere centimeters from actually ending his life. It took the man a moment to realize that he had just been taken down by that very girl whose abilities he questioned. But now, as he lay prostrate on the table of that bar, he began to believe the rumors that he had heard about the speed at which this ninja female moved.

"I… I don't believe it!" he gasped in unbelief as sweat began to pour out from his body. Fear had gripped his mind, and adrenaline had gripped his heart making his heart beat considerably faster. Consequently, his blood pressure rose and his breathing became more and more labored.

"She's good, is she not?" the master of the female ninja replied with a smirk of satisfaction. A nod from her master and the death-position that she had once assumed was released and her position was quickly taken back at the side of her master.

"I didn't even see her move and I was even looking at her!" the man said as he adjusted himself from just been flattened by the female ninja.

"Indeed. She has been my greatest defense against countless attacks and threats upon my life. Her speed is matched by no one else alive and she is both precise and accurate. She will be more than enough to protect the both of us if necessary. Are you satisfied now? Or do you need _more_ proof?" the man stated as he lifted his hand towards his female companion.

"N-n-no, that's all right. You have proven your point," the man stammered still in disbelief that someone could move so quickly and be in a killing position within an instant. And the very fact that it was a woman was even more nerve racking.

"Good," the reply came back as he lowered his hand back down to his lap allowing his female to relax from her poised-to-strike stance. "Then let us proceed with business shall we?"

"A-all right."

"Now the reason that I have summoned you here is because I've heard many strange and disturbing rumors. Do you know anything about these 'rumors' that I've heard?"

"Umm…" the man stammered, perspiration forming on his brow at a rapid pace. "R-rumors, sir, I don't know wha…"

"Don't play dumb with me!" the shadow of a man growled as his voice raised in volume considerably. After a short deep breath, he continued in a much more calm voice. "The rumors are about my shipments being raided and my goods being stolen."

"Oh! Hehehe. _That_ rumor!" The man wearing the brown garb was beginning to sweat even more as his body temperature seemed to increase. He pulled on his shirt hoping to release some of the excess heat; but, it was to no avail. He focused his eyes directly at his boss. "Sir, I am taking every precaution to look into these rumors and…"

"Really?" the man interrupted. "So then you do admit to knowing about these rumors? Even though earlier you seemed not to remember?"

"Ummm… well…" the brown garbed man said shakingly. "I was doing my best to try to apprehend the villains, if necessary. But, but, sir! Many of the supposed 'missing goods' were found placed in other locations. They were just misplaced. I don't think that there is room for concern."

"Why were they misplaced to begin with?" inquired the man with the female bodyguard. "Unless the rumors are true about this whole situation and…"

"They certainly aren't true, sir! I can assure you," the client countered quickly as his voice raised to a pitch slightly higher than in a normal conversation. Perspiration beaded on his forehead and slowly rolled down his face as he continued to entreat his boss. "I told you before that we are doing our best to look into these 'rumors' and extinguish anything of the sort. And even if they were raided during shipment we would have already caught and punished the person or group involved."

"Then you wouldn't mind if I sent my own representative down there to investigate the validity of your statements." He tilted his head slightly towards his ninja guardian who simply gave a nod in response. "My guardian Wynn here will accompany you back to Xian and will also oversee that my next shipment will be delivered safely." His eyes narrowed as his gaze seemed to drill deeper and deeper into the soul of his client. "And if I find out that these rumors are true, I'll have your head. Got it, Ichon?"

"Y-yes, s-sir. I got the picture…" Ichon replied in a trembling voice as he slowly reached up and wiped the sweat that had formed on his brow. A quick glance at Wynn was all he could manage as almost instantly he felt his body temperature increase. He was burning up and his whole body, from the top of his head down to the tip of his toes, trembled as the thought of the severity of the punishment if anything were to be found amiss. On top of that, this beautiful young woman who could easily tear him apart, literally, was accompanying him back to his post in Xian and was going to be investigating for support of the rumors. And as the saying goes: if you go looking for something, you're bound to find it.

"Good. Then I need to tell you that my next shipment of goods should be arriving in Xian soon by sea. Be extremely careful with this shipment as with any other shipment. Remember, your life depends on the integrity of my goods being delivered on time, in one piece, and all the pieces accounted for. See to it that you don't mess this up." The man turned his gaze indifferently from Ichon and towards the nameless guards and addressed them. "Take him away. I'm done speaking with him."

With silent acknowledgement, the bodyguards stepped forward to escort Ichon out from the presence of their master. The pair of them stood erect and tall and their cold, icy eyes narrowed and scoffed at the man to whom their master desired to be rid of for the moment. All eyes were fixated upon Ichon as he slowly stood to his feet and girded his katana blade back to its position on his left hip. He lightly brushed off his clothing and turned to leave with the pair of guards close behind.

He kept a keen eye on the man as he left, taking careful notice of each and every one of his movements. As soon as Ichon was out of his sight, he leaned over and motioned for Wynn to lean in closer. "Keep a close eye on him and report back to me his dealings. Don't act on him unless he threatens your life. We'll see just how truthful his statement really is."

* * *

As the illuminating glow of the entity Sol began to rise above the eastern horizon of Xian the joyous chirping of the native birds coming to life filled the atmosphere with a feeling of inner peace and contentment at the first rays of dawn. The gentle splash of falling water and the slow, winding, seemingly lackadaisical trail and current of the created river at the base further added to the serene environment. The retreating darkness that had once ruled the area revealed the figure of a boy well into manhood sitting above and adjacent to the waterfall and underneath the shade of a bonsai tree.

As a gentle breeze swept across the land and weaved its way through the oriental type buildings, the blond hair of this person swayed gently with the relaxing waft as it passed by him. He closed eyes in order to take in his peaceful environment and to free his mind of any distractions.

With the rising sun the boy also raised his eyes up to behold the majestic, imperial spectacle of the dawning day. The flooding of soft hues of orange and blue and pink painted the horizon and the sky above it leaving the viewer awestruck at the beauty. The brushstroke-like colors streaked through the sky and danced in a perfect, pre-created yet unique design.

Bringing his knees up toward his face, the kid wrapped his arms around his legs and looked on at the wondrous spectacle. His smile soon faded though and he dropped his face down into his knees. His thoughts no doubt were far removed from where he was. As he heard the chirping of the birds and smelled the fresh morning air, he couldn't help but sigh deeply. _What a peaceful place!_ He thought. _But still… _The boy looked up once more at the now light blue hue of the sky and the yellow-ish gold light emitted by Sol and was stirred somewhere deep in his soul. He closed his eyes and stretched out. When he opened his eyes and slowly stood to his full height of about six feet. As he dusted the dirt from off his blue colored, white trimmed robes and white colored pants, his eyes were drawn alertly to some swift, decisive movement down below in the village. The wraith emerged from a certain building with something bundled in his arms. He deftly weaved from shadow to shadow, building to building ever nearing the security of being departed from the village of Xian.

"Looks like I'll have to take care of some business before I begin my daily training." A gently scoff emitted from the blond kid's lips as he observed the movements of this shadow thief towards what was hoped to be freedom. "To beat the wraith…" he began as he closed his eyes and folded his hands in front of him focusing his mind. "…you must become a wraith." The air around his body began to swirl faster and faster. A second later, he was gone and his scent dissipated with the fleeting air currents.

The thief was nearly out of the limits of the village when he decided to check on his newly acquired wares. A subtle smiled eased its way onto his face as he confirmed in his mind a successful mission. He leapt up onto a branch of a nearby tree and took one last glance back at the village and scoffed at the oriental natives. "Pathetic. There was not a soul here that stopped me. This village is so pathetic…"

The leaves of the tree gently rustled with a passing breeze and the entire area went still and silent and tranquil and hushed. For the first time in the morning, the thief was able to relish in the peace of Xian for which so many travelers seek to find in a dwelling place. "But still… It's a shame that I can't stay here longer. It is a peaceful village; but, gotta do what I gotta do."

"You know…" a voice called echoing from seemingly everywhere at once. "If you didn't steal from here then perhaps you could stay longer."

The thief's entire body tensed when he heard the voice that had caught him. His eyes shifted from place to place trying to find this person as his ears tried to pinpoint the source of the voice. Suddenly, the branch he was on and the leaves of the tree were blown with such a mighty force of wind that it seemed like the entire tree would be uprooted right there and be carried miles and miles away. It was a struggle just to maintain a grasp on the branch he was on let alone anything else. A moment later the ferocious gale ceased and the entire area as silent as a solitary confinement cell.

"What in the world was that?" the thief whispered dreadfully as through his gloved hands he felt the soft squish of the silk material still underneath his arms. "I'd better leave before…" he began when he looked down at his silk only to discover that he was holding a bundle of long, green grass clippings. "What the…Where'd it go?"

"Silk," the same voice as spoke before echoed this time not in an audible tone that could be heard with the ears but with a sensory perception somehow in the thief's mind. "How something so soft and sleek could turn a man's heart so hard and jagged is beyond my comprehension!"

The thief began to feverishly shake his head back and forth as he reached up and grabbed his head with his trembling hands in an attempt to silence the intruding voice in his head. In a voice that was far less than confident and as the thief's grip tightened on his head he cried out, "Where are you?"

"Here…"

The hushed, soft answer from behind instantly made the thief spin around quickly to look upon the face of his tormentor. On a branch behind him, the thief's eyes beheld a boy barely into adulthood with damp-looking blond hair that protruded from his head in stringed clumps some of which slipped slightly into his face. His facial features were quite sleek and his skin mostly free of wrinkles. There was however a slight scar on the boy's left cheek. Despite the youthfulness of his appearance, his piercing ocean blue eyes revealed more than just childish reasoning. His eyes revealed a maturity beyond his years that only comes through hard, life experience and determination. But there was something oddly familiar about his face and the look in his eyes.

"You… look familiar," the thief said perplexed as he tried to figure out where he had seen this kid before. His gaze dropped to the grass bundle he had under his arm and he forgot all about trying to figure out where he had seen him before. He sneered and tossed the grass bundle to the ground. There in the hands of this new opponent rested the silk that was the object of his thievery. "How did you get that?"

"I could ask you the same, but…" came the reply as the boy stood to his feet and hid the silk bundle in his blue kimono shirt. "…well, I already know the answer to that. In fact, I saw the whole thing." With a huff of satisfaction the boy crossed his arms in front of him and gazed at the bandit incredulously. _Did he say I looked familiar? Has he seen me before? And if so, where?_

"If you know what's good for you, boy, then you'll give back the silk and leave. Little children should not interfere in matters that concern adults."

At the sound of that last comment, the temperature of the blond kid began to rise as his brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed and his hand clenched into fists. "Don't look down on me because I look young! Master Feh can attest to the fact that I'm not…"

"Wait? Feh? As in kung fu teaher Feh? You're studying under that old coot? You must really be desperate," the thief snickered with an evil tone of mockery.

"Only those who are weak would consider students under Feh to be desperate," came the sharp reply from the blond. "If you don't believe me, then try out your theory on me." The boy stood erect for a second and then lowered himself into a battle stance with the back of his right palm extended outward towards the thief and his left arm behind his back.

It started quietly and then it became audible and grew in intensity. The chuckle from the thief soon turned into a bellowed laughter as his restraints were loosened. "You really are a fool, aren't you? Feh is nothing more than a foolish old man with ideals rooted in the "Golden Age" of mankind. His ideals have made him weak; therefore, his teachings have suffered the same degree of weakness, if not even more so. I bet that you've never even left this village to seek out any of the greatest, most capable teachers."

"I don't need to leave this village to seek other teachers because... because there is a strength and a peace about this village where…"

"…where everyone lives together in harmony. Please, don't try to push that crap on me because such a utopia doesn't exist!" An arrogant grin appeared on the thief's face as he continued his lecturing. "It can never exist. People will always only care about themselves and no one else. If you look hard enough in this village even, you'll find out that this village is far less than a utopia. I've wasted enough of my time arguing with a fool like you. Get out of my way, or else!"

A gentle smile cropped onto the face of the blond followed by a quiet chuckle. "Hmph! 'Or else' what?"

"You asked for it," the thief snapped back ferociously as one of his hands suddenly tossed something from behind his back at the blond.

Using his transcendent speed, the blond warrior propelled his body backwards to dodge whatever was thrown at him and then he gripped the branch that he was standing on to spin around it until his body was only a few degrees above being parallel to the ground. As his rotation came to a halt just for a split-second, the thief suddenly realized that the blond was in perfect alignment to leap directly at him. With a powerful thrust of his feet, the blond hurdled through the air at breakneck speed towards the thief with every intention to subdue him in one strike.

Thinking quickly, the thief squatted down on the branch and used his own legs to shoot up into the air hoping that the distance would be just enough to avoid the imminent blow from his adversary. A brief flash of excitement crossed over his face as he saw that his tactic would work.

Suddenly, the blond extended his hands outward onto the branch underneath the thief and then spun around directing his feet upward towards the bandit. In a smooth motion that was perfectly timed, the blond's body suddenly changed speed and accelerated vertically toward the robber. His feet connected with the stomach of the thief and that set into motion a series of powerful single kicks to the foe's mid- to upper region of his body. As the speed of the two began to slow, the blond wrapped his legs around the thief and flicked the body of the thief down towards the earth. Just as the blond found a sturdy, nearby branch and before he landed gently on it the thief crashed violently into the ground spewing grass and dirt outwards in every direction.

"All too easy," the boy smirked. As the rising dirt cloud began to settle, the slightly exhausted blond who was kneeling on the branch smirked for a second as he saw the unconscious body of the arrogant thief. But then he suddenly felt a sharp stinging pain slide across the side of his face. A second later the feel of a warm substance trickled down his face and onto his left cheek. He reached up with his right hand to see what this was and to wipe this substance off his face. The moment he pulled his hand back into viewing range the blond saw the crimson red color of his own blood!

"What the?" He reached up to his face again and tracked the blood-trail up to its source, a gash a few inches long that curved from his upper cheek to just under his left ear. "How in the world…" His gaze traced his former path replaying the scene in his mind trying to determine when he got cut. His eyes stopped on the branch where he originally stood and he noticed imbedded into the tree's bark behind it was a triangular shaped throwing knife, a kunai. Trickling from one of the sides of the sharp blade was the crimson liquid of his own blood.

"Ohh! That's how! Guess that I need to be more careful next time." As he reached into his satchel for a napkin to help stop the bleeding, the boy gazed down at the thief once more.

"Knight! Knight!"

At the sound of his name, he looked up from the unconscious body of the thief to see running towards him a young dirty-blonde haired, blue eyed girl who was dressed in a simple white silk dress that came to the top of her knees, white silky boots, white silk gloves, and a flowing purple silk cape. She was waving at him with an excitement attributed to those of a younger generation.

_Figures… It'd be Jessica that finds me first._ A great sigh escaped his lips as he watched the 12 year old daughter of the weapons smith of Xian running up to greet him from the ground. She stopped in front of the tree and smiled cutely at Knight and held a sheathed sword behind her back as one of her feet dug gingerly into the ground.

"Knight! I brought you this new sword as soon as it was finished! I thought that you might want to see it and all…" The giddiness in the tone of her voice overflowed from her and she began to blush underneath the eyes even more than before.

"Ohh… Thanks, Jessica!" Knight could not help but smile at the young girl's antics and her true intentions did not go unmissed by his keen eyes. _Doesn't she realize that I'm seven years older than her and that we could never be together? Why is it that only the younger women like me and not those of my own age? Regardless, I'd better make sure that I don't hurt Jessica's feelings too much when I tell her…_

"Jessica, where are you? Get back here right now!"

The short blond female visible jumped and quickly hid behind a tree as a larger figure came into the clearing. Knight recognized the approaching man as the weapon craftsman of Xian and the father of Jessica. At first glance, the dark haired native of Xian would seem like a rather imposing person but those who knew him closely would know that that was not the case at all. He was actually a rather calm, mild tempered gentleman who was in fact close friends with the kung fu master Feh.

"Jessica…" the man wandered about not even bothering to look up into the trees where Knight watched on with great interest. "Where'd that girl disappear to…" the man was suddenly cut short when his eyes caught sight of something. Off to the man's right and behind one of the narrow trees was the sight of what appeared to be purple fabric. _I've got you girl…_

A gentle breeze swept the area as the man slowly began to creep towards his daughter's hiding place. He was nearly there when he sensed some kind of disturbance behind him. At the same time that he spun around, the man pulled from his satchel a pair of shurikens and expertly flung them towards the sensed disturbance. The moment that he turned around he felt a gale of intensely focused wind zoom past his body and a second later an arm wrapped around his neck and a kunai blade flashed in front of his eyes pointed at his neck.

"Hmph… It's hard to believe that you've only been here a year."

"I have a good teacher," the voice countered as his hold on the weapon specialist loosened.

"Even so. You've learned much faster than any other student I've known, Knight." The man was finally free of the restraints and was able to turn around and look upon the face of the "disturbance."

"What can I say, Mitsuru, I'm just special." Knight smiled confidently, boastfully even.

"More like a prodigy." Mitsuru saw the gash on Knight's face. "Hey! You've been cut! How'd that happen?" Mitsuru asked with great surprise. "I never would have expected a scratch on you, especially not on your face! It looks fairly recent too!"

"Umm… Yeah, well. About that…" Knight scratched the back of his head and smiled nervously. _Should I tell him about the thief?_ His gaze shifted ever so slightly to the ground where the thief was thrown down but a close grouping of trees blocked him from seeing if the thief's body was still there. _Hmmm. Maybe not. Need to know basis._ The young man pulled out his handkerchief and gently dabbed his wound a little more. "…Guess that I got too carried away with my training here in the woods and wasn't looking where I was going. Plus Jessica kind of surprised me. These branches are something else."

"Ha ha! I know what you mean. So you've seen Jessica around here…"

Right on cue the cute blue eyed girl emerged from behind the tree and presented herself before her father. "I'm here." The sheer pathetic tone of her feeble voice begged, no, demanded sympathy and pity. Her large pleading eyes made her look even more adorable but also reinforced the look of innocence that many girls learn how to manipulate to either get their way or to receive little to no punishment.

"Jessica! There you are!" Mitsuru ran over to his daughter and knelt down to give her a hug. "I was worried about you when you ran off into the woods. It's not safe out here because there are many wild animals out here that would hurt little girls like you."

The little girl merely smiled and responded to the comment with a small voice. "I know but I had your sword and…"

"Darling… Simply because you have a weapon doesn't mean that you are safe from danger. And if something were to happen to you then who would be out here to protect you?" Mitsuru lectured as he reached over and retrieved the sword from his daughter.

"Oh…" was the humbled reply from the little girl as she bowed her head low and as her lips began to quiver. "I guess… but still…"

Knight walked over to the trembling figure and kneeled down to eye level. "Jessica. I hope that you understand just how dangerous it is out here. And that your father loves you very much. So much that he'd give his life to keep you safe."

"Yeah…" came the stifled cry from the girl. "I know…" Jessica lifted her arm up and covered her face as the tears began to stream down her delicate, little face.

"Look at me…" He reached up and tugged Jessica's arm down and lifted her chin up so that their eyes could meet. A gentle smile of warmth and compassion formed on the boy's face as their eyes met. His eyes revealed the same expression of warmth as her father and an added emotion could be evidently seen. "I want you to know that as long as I'm here that I will protect you with my life. No one is going to hurt my friend. I give you my word. And I never go back on my word." Knight reached up and placed his soothing hands on her face and slowly began to wipe away the tears from her face. "We are still friends, right?" He grinned with his trademark smile and raised eyebrow waiting for her response.

"Of… Of course we're still friends!" The smile reappeared on the young girl's face as she practically leapt into the boy's arms. She rested her head against his shoulder and then looked back up into his blue eyes. "And someday, we'll get married and live together in happiness forever!"

_Ohhhh… Not this again._ Knight released his grip on Jessica and held her away from him for just a second. "Not if you keep disobeying your old man I won't."

"Huh? Ohh! Right!" Jessica stood up at attention and turned to her father and bowed reverently. "I'm sorry for worrying you, father. I only wished to prove that your weapons are the best."

"It's all right, dear. And you don't need to prove anything about my weapons because we have a strapping young warrior here who could do it for us," Mitsuru said as he gave Knight a sharp smack on the back.

_Owwwww._ Knight recoiled at the stinging sensation that now plagued the spot on his back where he was smacked. Yet he still continued to smile to keep the mood in the good condition it turned into.

"I'm gonna go see what Mom is cooking up. Come on, Dad." Jessica thrust her small hand into her father's and practically started pulling him home with all the excitement of a pre-teen girl.

"Oh all right! I'm coming!" Mitsuru replied as he finally started to walk on his own without his daughter's encouragement.

"See you later, Knight!" Jessica waved at the blond warrior of her dreams and then pressed her lips into her hands and blew an air-kiss to her future husband.

"Bye, Jessica." Knight replied as he smiled and waved, his face twisted with a look of both amusement and exasperation. _That girl. Sometimes I don't know what to do with her._ He smiled and shook his head slightly and turned to the woods where the light of Sol filtered through the leaves and branches creating small columns of light that sparkled and glimmered with life.

The events of earlier suddenly flashed into Knight's mind and he remembered the thief that he had utterly devastated. Moving quickly, he dashed to the crater where he had left the silk thief. Knight's eyes widened at his discovery that at the center of that radial crater lay… no one! There was not an evident trace of his presence in entire area. Knight peered around the area swiftly yet careful with the utmost caution but his eyes did not detect any presence. He closed his eyes and focused his senses to detect any abnormal wind patterns but was again rewarded with nothing.

"At least he's gone. For now… And hopefully he won't come back." Knight looked up to the branch where this whole mess started and spotted the knife blade that had cut him earlier. With a powerful leap aided by his powers, he soared up and onto the branch that was just under the impaled kunai knife blade. A good tug was all it took to remove it from the tree. This blade was different from many of the other knives he'd seen. This kunai knife was serrated rather than a straight razor edge. _Hmmm… that's different… _As he stood there looking at the small weapon, Knight recalled the debate that he had with the thief and looked back at the town of Xian.

"I realize that no place is perfect. But still, there is no denying that there is a certain degree of peace here that I never felt in my hometown. How deep it goes depends on the people who strive for it."

The sound of an angry growling tiger filled the air and almost instantly the boy's hands came to rest on his stomach. "Guess that I'm hungry too. I just hope that Jessica didn't eat all the food." With a snicker, Knight leapt down to the ground and dashed back into town for some breakfast.

-  
A/N: This is the start of the second book of my Knight series. Thanks for being patient with me. I hope to be able to update more often now that some of my other responsibilities are done! Hope that you enjoyed and don't forget to review.


	4. Chapter 2: Dojo Duel

**~ Chapter 2: Dojo Duel ~**

The pair of travelers strode into town just as the sun began to illuminate the village with its warming radiance. Joyous choruses rang out from the native birds as they awoke from their slumber and a few of them fluttered about already in search of food. The gentle crash of nearby falling water blended melodiously with the surrounding environment.

The lead traveler was a female about five feet five inches with light purplish hair that shimmered with glamour from its care. With her golden colored eyes she surveyed the early morning crowds with great scrutinizing vision while smiling at the morning passersby with her flawless white teeth.

The man that followed her strode in a far less than confident manner than she did. He scuffled his feet lazily in the dirt path creating a small dust cloud at ground level. Both of his feet were spread outward and he seemed to waddle back and forth like a pregnant duck. His head was dropped low on his shoulders and his facial features were droopy-like and anything but attractive. With a slightly protruding stomach and all the other features of his body combined he resembled a sort of doped up lazy bear. He looked around in short little distances as if in search of something or simply because of nervousness. After all, who would not be nervous when traveling with such a beauty of a woman whom he followed, right?

Though the morning had just arrived many of the locals were already hard at work and the worn down grass path was filling up quickly with people going to and fro about with their chores. One young girl dressed in a pink kimono top, dark blue sash, and a flowing white skirt that went to her ankles was carrying a bucket towards a small lake that was fed by a small waterfall which came right into the middle of town. The male traveler found himself admiring her simple beauty and her dark greenish colored hair that was pulled up into a ponytail on one and held in place with a red ribbon. Her movements seemed to flow together with such beauty and grace and…

Suddenly, the man found himself practically tripping over a person that had run out into his path from out of nowhere.

"Whoa!"

The traveler spun around with unsteady footing but still managed to stay standing and regained his footing long enough to catch a glimpse of the person who had practically made him eat dirt. It was a boy that had blond hair and who was dressed in the typical blue training shirt and white training pants of a student at the kung fu school just up the ledge. The boy was still spinning around uncontrollably and was about to collide with the girl who was walking back with a bucket filled with water.

"Look out!"

The girl looked up and saw the blond haired boy tumbling for her and she froze in place and shut her eyes and braced for impact. Much to her surprise, she was not thrown down into the dirt like she thought. Instead, she felt a great force of wind rush upward and behind her slightly followed by the gentle thud of someone landing in the soft grass behind her. She turned around to see the blond kid huffing for air as he wiped some of the perspiration off of his face.

"Sorry about that," the boy replied as he smiled at her warmly. "It's not often that I lose my footing like that. And trust me, I wasn't trying to fall into you or something."

"Hmph. Well, all right. I'll forgive you this time. But if you would have made me spill my water then I wouldn't have been happy with you, Knight."

"I got it. I'll come help you when I'm done with my business with master Feh. I promise!" Knight replied charmingly. "I'd better get going."

"I have your word then?" the girl inquired politely.

"Of course! A warrior such as myself would never dishonor his word." With a bow of respect, he headed off down the path to the residential area.

"All right! I'll be waiting!" Lita said with a strain in her voice as the weight of the water began to wear down her arm strength.

The two travelers watched the scene with different interests in what had just taken place. The male traveler fixated his eyes upon the beautiful young girl who was holding the water jug. The female traveler carefully watched the blond as he dashed away and out of sight.

_He's good. _Her gaze was then moved to the person behind her and she sighed in disgust.

"You're pathetic, Ichon. You know that."

"Huh? What?" Ichon finally became aware that his female companion was staring right at him.

"That little blond punk almost tripped me!"

"Only because you were ogling that girl over there. If you were paying attention to where you were going… Ah, forget it." The female threw her hands up is disgust and began to walk away. "Men are so pathetically predicable. I'd never allow myself to be the object of some guy's desire." She turned and stared right at Ichon. "Especially you."

Ichon froze in place at her words and at the truth in them. If he had not been eyeing that girl then he probably would have seen the blond and would have been able to avoid him. However, he did not like the way she described him, or insulted him was more like it.

"I-I am not pathetic, Wynn! I just happened to appreciate beauty, that's all," Ichon said in defense, turning his gaze away from her.

"Don't ever address me like I'm your friend!" Wynn snapped back.

Ichon cowered back and braced himself for some kind of attack from the girl. "I… I'm sorry."

"Hmph. You're hopeless, you know that? It seems to me from what I've seen and heard about you that you are nothing more than a womanizer. You go around from one girl to the next getting only what you want and then you cast her away like a piece of trash. No woman would ever want someone like you; and even if they did, then they must be a bigger fool than you."

"I am not a woman… whatever!" Ichon yelled angrily. "You're lucky you're a woman or I'd…"

"Or you'd what?" She spun around quickly, grabbed his shirt with a firm grip, and leveled a pair of kunai blades right at his eyes. She spun around so fast that a cloud of dust spiraled around her body. "I would have killed you long ago if not for my master telling me not to! Consider yourself lucky! Now hurry up and take me to the warehouse." She shoved him forcibly to get him moving. "I want to get started right away," Wynn demanded with a sly sneer. _I'll get to the bottom of what you're really up to._

* * *

Knight had finally eaten breakfast with Jessica and her father and was just passing through the doors of the kung fu school when he became aware of the commotion. A number of students were gathered around the dueling mat and they were shouting and cheering for whatever was going on. With interest piqued, Knight moved in for a closer look at what was happening. He finally managed to push his way to the front and saw two competitors facing off.

"Come on… Beat his face in!" a comment was yelled.

"Knock him out!" another person screamed out.

"Stop playing around and finish him!"

With each exchanged blow by the two combatants the crowd of students seemed to cheer more and more. One of the fighters landed a hard right hand palm punch to his opponent who then spun several times in the air before coming to a crashing thud on the ground. The crowd erupted with cheers as the one who landed the punch began to gloat over the fallen body of his opponent.

The competitor, however, was not finished and unstably stood to his feet. His posture was slumped from the extreme amount of exhaustion that his body was no doubt experiencing and his legs shook from the fatigue. Sweat dripped from his forehead and a small trail of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth where he had just been hit. He lifted up his hand and held it against his mouth while he turned his head and spit out blood that had pooled in his mouth. As he wiped the blood off he clenched his hands in a fighting pose ready to finish the fight.

"I'm not done yet," the competitor said weakly.

The champion looked back from his gang who were patting him on the back and saw the pathetic sight of his opponent. A second passed before he erupted in laughter followed by laughter from his fan club of jockeys.

"You haven't even landed a good hit and now you can barely stand! Yet you still mean to fight me? Fine! So be it! This time I'll make sure that you can never fight again!" The champion reached around behind him and pulled something out that had been under concealment of his shirt. The quick flash of a sharp, darkly colored kunai blade caught the attention of the spectators and especially of Knight. The champion charged towards the weakened competitor intent on fulfilling his threat.

_A weapon? But something like that is forbidden from even being in here, let alone being used in a duel! I must put a stop to this before it's too late!_ The blond moved with such speed that his body seemed to suddenly vaporize from where he once stood and then reappear on the mat gripping the arm of the champion against the wall. In the same hand of the champion was the small kunai weapon. A sudden rush of air accompanied Knight's arrival on the dueling mat.

"What?" the champion exclaimed as he found himself caught completely off-guard.

Before he muttered anything, Knight karate-chopped the forearm with the kunai knife with enough force compelling the champion to recoil in pain and release his hold on the weapon. The blond threw the boy back and caught the kunai in mid-drop.

"What are you doing? This duel does not concern you!" the angered champion yelled.

"You're right…" Knight began as he spun the kunai around by the loop at the end and then suddenly and forcibly thrust the weapon into the wall. "That is until you decided to break the rules and engage in dishonorable play. This… I cannot allow."

"You can't allow this!" He looked over at his friends and jokingly elbowed a few of them. "Who do you think that you are anyways?"

A huff followed by a gentle half-smile were the blond's responses as he narrowed his eyes and focused his mental energies. As the seconds slowly passed a gentle violet hued glow encompassed his body witnessed by none of the spectators. He bowed his head low and lowered into a fighting stance and with eyes closed he said, "I am…" and then he lifted his eyes to meet the furious stare of the champion and finished by saying, "…your end!" The violet tint of Knight's eyes shocked the champion back a few steps while he took a moment to compute what was spoken.

"Let me handle it…" a voice whispered weakly from behind the blond.

"Hee… _You_, are in no condition to fight. Your reaction time is too slow. If I hadn't stepped in when I did then he probably would have killed you!"

"But this is my fight…" the competitor argued.

"No! No 'buts' about it. I will not allow you to put yourself into harm's way with your life on the line. Besides, if you're gone who's gonna help me carry water for you-know-who? It seems like she always needs help. And I don't want her getting sick of seeing me all the time."

For the first time since the duel started the competitor laughed. "Right! Well then, he's all yours! Let him have it!" He then backed away allowing the duel to proceed without his interference.

"Hmph. I intend to." Knight focused his attention back on his opponent. "Before we begin I would like to know one thing…"

"Yeah! What?" the champion sounded back with much irritation and strain in his voice.

"What were you two fighting about in the first place?"

"That… doesn't concern you nor does it matter… all that matters is that I beat you so I can kill him!" the champion screamed as he lunged into battle.

_Hmmm… so it's his sister, eh?_ Knight thought as he read the mind of his opponent. With the training that he had received while at this school combined with his already mentally focused energies, Knight had very little difficulty in dodging the punch from his opponent. A quick jab followed the initial attack meant to surprise the victim but Knight once again phased out of harm's way and off slightly behind his opponent.

"Come on! Stop trying to hit me and hit me!" Knight provoked with a sneering grin.

"Arrrrgh! Shut up!" The champion furiously began an assault of punches, jabs, hooks, elbows, knees, and pretty much anything he could at his blond haired opponent. Despite his best efforts none of his attacks seemed to connect with the intended target. Each attack was met with a seeming fading after-image of the blond that trailed the real personage of the blond.

"He's just toying with him," one of the students observed after carefully trying to decipher Knight's movements.

"Isn't that Knight? When did he become so dang… good?" another student awed in amazement. "He's going toe-to-toe with Valleroy!"

"How's this possible?" another student said with widened eyes and gaping mouth. "Usually, he's just in the corner by himself minding his own business. We hardly ever see him train!"

"Well, apparently he's been training; but he still hasn't managed to land a single hit yet. He's merely dodging every attack from a defensive position. He won't have what it takes to win," another student boasted upon seeing Knight's apparent lack of offensive capability.

"You're wrong…" the original competitor spoke from nearby. He seemed to sound and look a bit better than before. "He may not look it but I bet that he could even go up against Master Feh."

"Pfft… Whatever… He may be going toe-to-toe against Valleroy but he'd definitely lose against master Feh."

Some of the other students around mumbled their agreement while still trying to keep an eye on the match.

"Well, remember a while back when those travelers came into town the day Hsu had gone missing and Feizhi stormed out to go search for him. The one named Isaac entered this dojo and demonstrated his powers. He possessed a form of Ki that was strong enough to knock down a log from a few yards away. Remember?"

"Ummm… Wait! Oh, yeah! Tall, skinny blond-haired kid, right?" the student recalled. "So? What's your point, Raif?"

"Knight possesses a far greater Ki than Isaac ever did and his training here has improved his Chi abilities, something that Isaac did not have," Raif explained. "I have seen his technique only once but that is all that I need to be convinced that he can beat Master Feh. Just watch."

Attention was once again drawn back towards the two fighters just as Knight leapt over the champion as he turned in the air to face him. He landed on the mat and skidded a few meters before coming to a halt. His hands were raised once more in a defensive orientation as he took a deep breath and exhaled it out slowly.

"Is that the best you got, Valleroy?" the blond jeered once more.

The black haired boy glared at his opponent through eyes filled with anger as the perspiration poured down his face soaking the top of his already saturated training clothes. He gasped for breathe as his entire body began to ache with the effort that he had exerted. As he looked on at Knight, he saw that the boy was hardly sweating at all!

_What? _Valleroy thought astonished. _Is he not tired at all? What was up with this kid? I've tried everything against him and nothing seems to be working! No… I have to beat him so that I can kill Raif!_

"That is far from what I've got," Valleroy mustered to speak as he clenched his hands. "You are merely dodging all of my attacks. You haven't even landed a single hit yet!"

"Hmph. True…" Knight agreed. "Well then, I guess I'd better change that then," Knight said as he changed his stance ever so slightly.

"You're just as pathetic as that other hopeful! You're all talk and no bite! In fact, I'm not even sure what you're doing here! How could you think that you could master the teachings of this place just by sitting in the corner? That is so lame! As the champion of this dojo, I'll show you what I've learned through my training! I'll show you real strength!" Valleroy charged at Knight with his fists ready to connect this time for sure.

Knight readied himself but a flicker of purple in the corner of his vision caught his attention just for a brief moment. The figure of someone wearing purple stood afar off, but a face could not be matched because his attention shifted to his battle and the jab that was coming straight for him.

Knight ducked and fell on his back in a slight roll and used the momentum of Valleroy's jab against him. By pulling his knees up to his chest, Knight was able to roll backward and plant his feet on Valleroy's stomach and toss him into the side wall with a spring of his feet outward. Knight rolled backward into a kneeling position just as the thunderous crash of the champion made contact with the dojo wall. Pieces of debris scattered everywhere forcing those closest to the front of the spectator line to shield their eyes. When everyone could see again, they saw the crumbled body of their champion impressed into the dojo wall.

Valleroy fell gracefully from the crater in the wall onto his hands and knees huffing for the breath that had been forcibly knocked from his body. His head ached with an extreme pounding sensation that nearly made him sick. A sudden sickening liquid intruded his mouth and he tasted something that instantly made him cough it out. The color of what had come out was that of a crimson apple. It was the color of blood, his own blood!

The witnesses gasped in unbelief at what had just happened: the strongest fighter among them, the champion – the role model of perfection – lay strewn across the dojo kneeling, coughing up his own blood, and gasping for breath because he had been defeated. Worse thing was that the person who had defeated him was someone whom the students considered what _not_ to be.

"That was sure impressive…"

The melodious voice of a female filled the air alerting the male population in the dojo to the presence of the young violet haired lady standing off near the entrance of the kung fu fighting school.

"Feizhi!" Raif exclaimed.

A smile and a feminine wave were her responses as she seemed to drift across the floor with a certain degree of grace and dignity of that of a princess. As she made her way toward the dueling floor the crowds split apart allowing her access. She soon then stopped right in front of the blond fighter and smiled sweetly at him.

"Congratulations, Knight!"

"Huh? Ohh… Thanks." His tone was anything but excited and he averted his eyes away from her in seeming disinterest. "It was easy."

"What's wrong? Aren't you excited to see me?" Feizhi asked in the tone of small innocent child.

"It's not that…" Knight then had the chance to look at his peers. Each one seemed to be eagerly awaiting their own time to spend with the girl, whether that spent time was of pure intentions was still in question. But the looks they emitted were enough to make him sick.

"Hey! Kid! Get away from her!"

The angered tone of Valleroy made everyone aware that Valleroy had not quite been defeated yet. Everyone parted giving Knight and Feizhi perfect view of the hunched form of the defeated champion.

"You don't deserve to be talking to her!"

"And I suppose that you do?" Knight raised his eyebrow at him in amusement. "I think that I have just as much right to talk to her as anyone."

"Only the champion… has the right… to talk to her… And I haven't been beaten quite yet…" Valleroy said in a weak tone as he struggled to stand himself straight up. "…this fight is not over yet!"

Knight could not help but chuckle to himself. "This fight was over the moment I became your opponent. To avoid further embarrassment to yourself and pain inflicted upon your body I suggest that you stand down."

"Shut up! I will not lose to you! I am the champion!" Valleroy shouted and charged straight for Knight. The black haired boy smirked and then produced another kunai blade leveling it at Knight with every intention to finish this fight for good and silence this punk.

Everyone was alarmed save for Knight who was not phased by this predictable action. _Just what I thought you'd do._ "Neither can I lose to you," whispered the blond.

Knight quickly analyzed the situation and realized that if he tried to counterattack that Feizhi would be in the way and would probably be hurt. With only moments left Knight wrapped his left arm around the girl and spun around so quickly that no one saw his right hand flick downward by his side and the sudden appearance of shurikens in his hand. Somewhere in his rotation his body suddenly began to glow a slight violet hue and he let the shurikens loose at Valleroy. The three tossed shurikens struck Valleroy in the chest with such strength that he was not only stopped but also driven backward off the ground and through the air! Suddenly, a burst of wind trailed the paths the shurikens had made with such ferocity that loose clothing and hair flared in the wake.

"It's… not… possible…" Valleroy wheezed in astonishment as he felt some kind of strange energy penetrate his body farther than the shurikens had done leaving three holes in the back of his shirt with no damage to the skin. His body came crashing to the floor and rolled a few meters before coming to rest in a heaping mess of blood and clothing. As his vision darkened his hold onto consciousness was lost and the grip his right hand had on the kunai blade loosened.

Amazed gasps echoed throughout the entire dojo as the other students glanced back and forth between Valleroy, their champion, and Knight, the underdog. However, it seemed like Knight was never the underdog to begin with but rather the champion instead, even though he did not officially have the title.

Raif was the first to step out from the crowd and break the seconds of silence that followed the defeat of Valleroy.

"And that is that…" the boy said satisfactorily with his gaze fixated on the man who had attempted to kill him. Raif turned slightly and glanced back to the victor and gave his thumb's up approval. "Good job, buddy. I knew you could do it." Turning to face the crowd, he raised his voice and said, "Let's hear it for our new champion, Knight!"

The clapping began with only Raif; but it was soon joined by another student, then another, then one more, until pretty soon the dojo was filled with boisterous applause and cheering from all those who had witnessed the sound defeat of Valleroy.

"Are you all right?"

Suddenly brought back from the cheering that was not even directed for her, Feizhi turned her attention to the soothing voice of the man whose arms she was still in the security of. The grip around her shoulder loosened and she backed away slightly and was able to look upon the full features of her blue eyed savior.

"Yeah… I'm fine. Thanks," Feizhi meekly replied, her face reddening from either embarrassment or excitement, she could not tell. The sound of her voice was nearly drowned out by the cheering of the others.

"Good. I was hoping that you were all right."

As all the other students descended upon their new champion cheering his name and patting him on the back and practically singing his praises, the doors of the dojo gently closed behind a violet haired female who had just witnessed all the preceding.

"Hmmm. Most interesting. So he can use Psynergy too. The master will be pleased to know of this information." A devious smile cropped on her face as she slowly walked away from the dojo. "This trip is turning into a productive one indeed."


	5. Chapter 3: Past Regrets, Present Remorse

**~ Chapter 3: Past Regret, Present Remorse ~**

Escaping the excited students at the kung fu martial arts dojo provided to be a much easier task than the new champion had anticipated. They all had been so enthusiastic about the upset of the former champion that they were nearly blind to his stealthy exit. But after watching such a match as they had witnessed it was no wonder that they had reacted the way they did. It certainly was a contest that would leave an impression of awe and excitement.

The gentle breeze from the countryside felt good across Knight's face as the wind cooled his body down from the raging temperature that it had gotten to during the match. And with the one corner of the dojo packed with spectating students, the chilling north-westerly wind was a welcome friend as opposed to the humid, muggy atmosphere of the dojo.

As Knight continued his leisurely stroll, the sight of a familiar short, twisted tree near a secluded section of woods at edge of town brought relief to his exhausted and sun tanning skin. With the entity Sol, at its most intense radiating position of the day, the shade of the small bonsai tree was practically calling his name. And with such a victory as had been won today, Knight figured that he deserved the shade and the break.

Relaxing underneath this particular tree was not an uncommon event for him. The worn grass under it where he reclined should be proof enough of that. He had come often to this very spot to rest his wearied body from the trials he faced as not only a student at the dojo but also as a productive member of the society. It was hard work being on one's own. But after a hard day's labor, there was nothing compared to the satisfaction of accomplishment of one's finished work for the day while spending the remaining time left in the day under the shade of this tree as the sky elucidated autumn colors of the fading sunlight.

As he bent down into the soft grass of his shade haven and leaned against the trunk of the small tree, any thoughts that he had previously seemed to vanish from his mind. The tension in his muscles loosened and his body sank slightly into a previously molded contour. His breathing slowed and deepened matching the relaxing state of the serene atmosphere. The very earth itself seemed to be drawing off any of his body's produced negative energy allowing his eyes to fall with peace of mind and his body induced into a state of partial sleep.

In this meditative disposition, Knight found his most comforting peace. It was during these times of solitude that he managed to escape the world even if it was for a short moment in order to keep himself composed and under control during stressful times. If it was not for the times he spent alone like this he would have gone insane for sure.

Knight yawned and stretched his arms out relieving the pressure in some of his joints and then folded them back behind his head for added support. A sigh escaped from his lips as he opened his eyes lazily and looked about this familiar district. Even though this area was a part of the woods it was not as thickly populated with trees as the forest nearer the village. It was a perfect place to be utilized as a training ground with just enough space for maneuverability and enough shade for protection against the rays of the sun. Not only was this area Knight's comfort zone but it was also his mock battle zone. It was here away from the spying eyes of the other students that Knight learned to practice his martial arts as well as his secret arts, Psynergy.

It was still all a mystery to him as to the origin of the power he possessed. He had given up trying to explain how he did what he did or the origin of his fantastical powers. What he was more concerned with was the careful refinement and skillful mastery of his powers in order to keep his elemental usages secret. The one time he had lost control of his Psynergy, Raif was close enough to witness a small fraction of Knight's power. Luckily, the boy did not have a clear enough view to perceive the details of what happened and Knight was able to play the lightning and thunder Raif saw and heard off on the overhead thunderstorm. Thanks to the storm that day Knight was able to keep his Psynergic lightning concealed beneath his façade and he was able to gain a good friend.

In fact, he had gained a couple good friends during his stay in this village. Knight recalled the time when he was first found on that beach by two very cute girls. They took him to Xian where the purple-haired one put in a good word with master Feh to allow him to not only get residency in one of the houses in the city but also to get training at the dojo. Knight also got to know the other girl very well and they had even become friends to the point where they were practically a couple. Both girls had been very nice to him. The year he had spent in Xian seemed to fly by.

Ever since the day he first arrived in Xian, Knight had stayed around the dojo for sanctuary and for training. At first he was not interested in the training offered at the dojo, but after Feizhi's incessant pleading, Knight finally decided to get involved. But if he had ever hoped to catch up to the other students, extra training would be required outside of the dojo. That was when he found this spot far from the eyes of the other students so that not only could he hone the skills learned at the dojo but he could also practice the mastery of his Psynergy.

Though he was relaxed and his eyes shut, Knight's own training here to heighten his senses alerted him to the gentle crinkle of the grass behind him. He hesitated for a moment wondering who could be approaching him. But when a gentle breeze blew in from behind him, he instantly was able to narrow the sweet scent to a familiar friend.

"I thought you'd be out here," the feminine voice said softly. "You usually are."

Knight simply smiled and glanced back at the approaching girl. "This is the area I feel most peaceful in. Besides, Feizhi, I needed to relax for a bit."

"After that confrontation…" she said turning to point in the general direction of the dojo. "I bet." The violet haired girl gracefully sauntered over to a nearby log and plopped herself down. "You were amazing! How you took down Valleroy with such ease!"

"Well… it wasn't too hard really…"

"What? Are you serious?" Feizhi gasped in disbelief. "There's no need to be modest, Knight! He was a very tough competitor! Very few people could have… ohh… how should I say it…" she thought for a brief moment. She chuckled as finished her statement. "…put him in his place."

Knight turned to her in intrigue and shifted his eyebrows inquisitively.

Feizhi leaned forward slightly and put a cupped hand next to her mouth. "Just between us… I think he deserved that!" she whispered then winked.

"Yeah. It's been a long time coming." Knight smiled and leaned back against his shade tree. As he placed his hands behind his head, he smiled. "I have you to thank for today's win."

"Huh? What'd ya mean?" came the confused reply.

"Well… You not only helped me with my martial arts training out here but you also passed on your technique of prediction down to me. That came in very handy in my battle with that kid."

"Really…?" Feizhi said with a slight twitch of uncertainty in her facial expression. "It's true that I passed that technique on to you; however, my visions into the future are spontaneous and are days, months, even years into the future. How could you…?"

"Through training…" Knight replied answering her logical question. "I thought that if you could see that far into the future then why couldn't I try to hone that skill to see the more immediate future?" Knight raised an eyebrow at the girl and smirked.

"Really? That's incredible!" Her face lit up with excitement and her eyes widened.

"See? So you did help me out… in a way." Knight smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "But still, it takes a great deal of energy and focus to maintain that skill. Any distractions or negative thoughts would throw off my focus and it would be difficult, perhaps even impossible, to do."

"I had no idea it took that much effort," Feizhi smiled as she looked at the strapping young man.

"Yeah. I'm hoping to be able to use this skill as though it's second nature. That would be very helpful."

"Well, all I know is that you truly are a genius, Knight. I bet your parents would have been proud to see your victory over that self-professed champion Valleroy."

A great sigh slipped from the lips of the boy as he leaned back against his tree and gazed back into the sky. His eyes focused on the few small puffy clouds that had arisen into the ocean of blue above.

"Yeah…" he responded, his voice dropping off considerably and his smile fading.

"Huh? Knight? What's wrong?" Feizhi questioned with ever growing concern at his sudden change in mood.

As the silence between the two friends lengthened the gentle chirping of the native birds took the place of conversation. The sounds of joyous chatter between the feathered aviators were a calming distraction to the hardships of a past that Knight had tried to seal away ever since he had arrived the village of Xian. If his mind would have been emptied of such thoughts Knight would have found the atmosphere of this secluded retreat to be soothing.

"Well… It's just that… My parents are gone," Knight stated his gaze dropping to his feet.

"Oh… I'm sorry… I…"

"…didn't know? I… I realize that. But… I… Well I'm not exactly open about my past." He heaved another heavy breath. "But still, you… uh… you shouldn't be sorry for things you can't change."

"Knight…" Feizhi's voice quivered as she watched the once proud boy who had defeated Valleroy reduced to such a level of melancholy. She was about to say more but was cut short when he lifted his hand up to silence her.

"Knight… hmph…" came the whisper from the boy as that name echoed in his mind. His mind took him back to the day when he had first come up with the name. It was an etched memory of a time he desperately wanted to forget.

He took in a deep breath of air and let it out slowly allowing him to form the words and the courage to continue. "I think that you deserve to know." He took a deep breath and continued. "About a year ago, I… uh… my hometown was attacked by a group of ninja that took everyone completely by surprise. But despite that, we were able to fight back and drive the invaders from our city. However, the price of victory came at a heavy cost. Not everyone was able to rejoice in our victory."

"Like your parents…" She suddenly realized the reason for his sudden mood change.

Knight nodded. He clenched his hands into tight fists and shut his eyes tight as well as if remembering, no, reliving the horrible nightmare of that night.

"What is it?"

Knight retracted his knees up into his chest and held them in place by wrapping his arms around them. "It-It's… It's nothing," Knight reluctantly sputtered turning his gaze down to the ground.

"Knight, come on… You know that you can talk to me. It's quite obvious that something is wrong. Please, tell me. I want to help you," Feizhi pleaded as only female can plead.

His eyes drooped as he spoke barely above a whisper. "I'm… no soldier. I wasn't prepared… no… I wasn't ready for what I had to do, despite what I thought at the time. I… I killed three of those ninja," he admitted. The sharp gasp he heard from the girl went unnoticed as he continued. "They all threatened the life of my friend so I thought I'd feel nothing afterward so I… I…" An image flashed in his head of that night. But it was more than just an image. Vivid details of that gruesome memory replayed back in his mind more real than it had been that night. Knight reached up and covered his face with one of his hands as he felt tears fall from his eyes.

The sniffling form that lay before Feizhi could not have possible been the one whom she had once seen before. His strength and calm seemed almost impossible to shatter even in the most intense training sessions they had been through. He hardly ever showed his emotions; but now, he was suffering from an extreme mental breakdown of something he did in the past that he now regrets. What could she do to comfort him in this situation? One thing was certain: this event of his past… had left it's scars. Feizhi decided that he needed the shoulder of a friend. She stood up and walked over to the boy and bent down so that she was nearly eye level with him.

"It's okay. I'm here for you," Feizhi whispered in a voice that was filled with great compassion as she reached out and laid her hand on his head. "You did what you had to do."

"I…" Knight fought back the tears as best he could, but the hurt was too great even so such a strong will as his own. "I wasn't strong enough to protect them! I… failed because I was weak!"

Feizhi reached around and gave him a hug, a much needed hug of compassion. "It's okay. You're not weak! In fact, you're one of the strongest people I know!"

Knight backed away wiping away his tears. "No… I'm not. There are many other guys who have bigger muscles then I'll ever have…"

The purple-haired girl giggled lightly. "That's not what I'm talking about, silly boy." She placed a finger on the boy's chest. "You're strength comes from within. From your spirit. From your heart. You have something that none of those other guys have… heart. I know that you'll go on to do great things. You'll be a great hero not because you can beat up on other people, but because you have compassion. I'm convinced that life on the outside comes from strength on the inside. And you're a strong person without a doubt in my mind."

The expression on Knight's face lightened as he slowly started to smile. He began to digest what exactly she had said. "Thanks… I… uh… needed to hear that…"

"Don't worry about it. That's what a true friend does. I'm here for 'ya." Feizhi leaned forward and gave him another hug thinking about their talk. "Hmph. That's why you push yourself so hard isn't it?" She felt him shutter as if she had hit the nail on the head. "Listen, the past is the past and there comes a point where you just have to put the past behind you." She reached down and grabbed his hand in hers. "Knight, we all have things in our past that we wish we could change or forget or even undo; but if you let things in your past hold you back, then you'll miss all the good things going on around you. And when things get tough, you'll have friends like me who will stick with you… 'til the end."

"I… uh…" Knight pushed away from her and smiled with renewed energy. "Thanks… for everything. I feel much better now."

"Great! I'm glad to hear it!" Feizhi responded cheerful clapping her hands together relieved to see her friend back to some normalcy.

Both Feizhi and Knight leaned back against the soft grass and relaxed. Knight looked over at the girl briefly and smiled. _She's right. I need to put the past behind me and forget about it all. I know that if I have friends like Feizhi with me, I can live without regret or remorse._


	6. Chapter 4: Deceivers and Cheaters

**~ Chapter 4: Deceivers and Cheaters ~**

The light from the single candle set in the middle of the small cubical room between two people flickered against the darkness that threatened to suffocate the light. The soft glow from the candle barely lit up the faces of the pair as one of them explained the current situation. The other one nodded as his companion finished the exposition.

"I see…" the man responded after hearing the story. "That is interesting news. Are you sure that this boy used Psynergy?"

"Quite sure, sir," came the female's answer. "He glowed for a second during the battle and was able to produce shurikens. But the speed and power in which those shurikens were thrown… It was as if he propelled them with Psynergy giving them extra strength than they otherwise would not have had. I think that more damage was done internally from the Psynergy penetrating his body than externally from the shurikens."

"Have you seen him do anything else?" the shadow figure asked now curious about this new development.

"Not in the way of Psynergy but he does seems to have relatively quick reflexes," the girl continued. "He was able to leap over someone he would have otherwise run into. And during his fight in the dojo, he seemed to know every attack his opponent would make before it happened."

"Hmm… That is impressive." The man strummed his fingertips against each other as he contemplated this news. "He seems to have the characteristics of the Jupiter Clan like you and your father before you."

"It… would appear so…" The mention and thought of her father caused her to hesitate. _Why does that matter?_ She thought.

"It's a shame that your father did not embrace his power like you have. He might not have fallen in battle that night…"

"My father was a great ninja!" the girl countered raising her voice. "He was skillful even without the use of the magic of the Jupiter Clan. He obeyed every command without question! He served for many years and proved his loyalty to the leaders of the Ninjas Royale! Yet he was sacrificed in a campaign against some second rate – no, third rate – town by some inexperienced lowlife who killed him! I have vowed to exact revenge upon that person who murdered my father if it's the last and only thing I do!" If there was one thing that she disliked more than anything, it was when someone talked bad about her father and what happened to him.

"Well, I'm sorry. I did not mean to stir up such feelings in you." The man fluidly swept his arms outward trying to calm her fury. He lowered his tone to a little above a whisper and continued. "I merely wished to ask him for his guidance, his advice, and perhaps his help. That's all."

"Oh… yeah, sure…" she replied skeptically. _The way you said it doesn't convince me at all._

"But enough of that… About this boy in Xian, tell me more about him. What's he like? What of his physical appearance? Do you find him appealing at all?"

The question caught her off guard and she was suddenly at a loss for words. Did it really matter what he looked like? She squirmed slightly in her sitting position and she could her face flush with color as she stammered for composure.

"No… no disrespect, but why does that matter?"

"I'm just curious, that's all." He smiled at her sudden uneasiness. She never was one much for relationships and finding a mate. It not only made her uncomfortable but also any attachment to another would hinder her mission to avenger her father's death. It is because of her lack of attachment to the opposite gender (or anyone pretty much) that makes her such a deadly weapon. As he thought about the situation further he could not help but smile much more for what he had planned. "Well? Describe him for me."

She swallowed hard trying to suppress any awkward feelings she might have had towards describing him. "Achem. Well, he… he is roughly between 1.7 and 1.9 meters tall and weighs between 64 and 72 kilograms. He has light sandy blond hair with blue eyes. He is of a medium build and seems to be in fit physical condition…"

A gentle chuckle escaped the lips of the man as he listened to her formal profiling of the boy causing her to stop and look at him confused. "I'm sorry…" he said in a tone of voice that sounded anything but sorry. "That's not what I meant. What's he really like? His personality and character, I mean. Do you find that he is handsome in any way?"

"Oh! Well, umm… I still fail to see why…"

"Ah! I guess that it doesn't really matter. You'll find out more soon enough."

She lifted an eyebrow at his statement. "I don't follow."

"I am always looking for new recruits and if he is as strong as you claim then he would make a powerful ally, especially if he can use Psynergy." His voice then lowered to a whisper. "I have a new mission for you. This… boy… I want you to 'get close' to him. Do whatever it takes to turn him to our side, seduce him if necessary. Use your female wiles or whatever."

"Excuse me?" she gasped with her voice raised considerably.

"You, my dear, are going to become his best friend."

"But, sir!" the protested cry shot back.

The man raised his hand silencing her protest. "This is your mission. Get close to him. You'll be his friend, partner, coworker, lover, I don't care how you do it. Just bring him before me however you can," the man smirked evily as he stroked his chin.

"But what about Ichon? You gave me strict orders that I should watch and investigate him!"

"I realize that, and I'll deal with him. But these are your new orders."

"But you know that I hate this sort of thing! I would never…"

"You can and you will! Or have you forgotten what happens to those who refuse my orders? I think that it's in your best interest to do what I say!" he shouted clenching his fists. A faint hue of red outlined his fists. The man was now getting frustrated at her obstinacy to these new commands. He paused for a moment and lowered his voice back down to a whispered tone. "Your job is to befriend him, become his girlfriend or whatever. Then when he trusts you, bring him to me. That shouldn't be hard for a young woman of your beauty, now should it, Wynn?"

"With all due respect, Sir, this goes against my convictions. I don't like the idea of being another man's fantasy object! It would be even more difficult for me to concentrate on my own objective!" Wynn crossed her arms in front of her in great protest to this new assignment. There was no way in Weyard that she would do this!

"Do you still mean to defy my commands?" the man raised his hand up in the air and brought the back of his hand swiftly across the cheek of Wynn. "You do know the penalty for defying my orders, right?"

An inaudible growl made its way into the girl's throat but never out of her mouth. She knew better than to defy the most powerful man in the criminal underworld. The penalty for anyone going against his wishes was death. And she would rather not be executed before she avenged her father's death.

"Yeah, I know…" Wynn gently massaged the spot where she had just been back-handed which still hurt like a hundred bee stings.

"You see, your father was a great ninja, probably one of the best. He died an honorable death in battle. However, if you defy me now then not only will you not be able to avenger your father's death but you will not pass from this world as honorably as he did!"

Wynn gritted her teeth together as she responded in the only way that would allow her to continue to seek her own goal: "I'll do it. But only this one time!"

"That, my dear young lady, will be for me to decide. Now, I must be off to conduct business matters. And so must you," he waved her off as he stood to leave.

Even though the light from the candle was not very bright, Wynn was able to catch a glimpse of his ebony and crimson colored hair as he turned around to leave the small room. She stood up and turned around and started to walk to the opposite exit when she stopped and held her cheek and looked back through the darkness with disgust and indifference to where her master had just been.

_Why is he making me do this? He's using my gender for his advantage! _Wynn turned to exit and rubbed her reddened cheek. She started to amble through the darkness, not entirely focused on where she was going. _I don't like that he is taking advantage of me. I'm beginning to wonder if following him after my father's death was a wise decision. _Wynn sighed._ Someday, I'll be strong enough to be the one giving orders and not the one following orders. But, for now anyways, I'll just have to obey orders and wait for my chance._

As she thought about her new mission and about all the things it would entail — getting dressed up, making sure she smelled good all the time, fixing her hair to perfection every day, having to prance around this boy for his attention, pretending to be something that she is not, and even possibly going so far as to do some more intimate things if all else failed — Wynn could not help but shudder. _Men are such animals. They only want one thing. I am __**not**__ going to enjoy this mission at all. If he tries __**anything**__ on me, then I'll kill him!_

* * *

Knight and Feizhi slowly meandered through the secluded woods and made their way back into town laughing and generally carrying on and having an enjoyable time relishing in the company of the other. The pair had not even noticed how much time had transpired as the position of the sun slowly descended leaving only a quarter of sky left in its daily journey.

The sight of the top of the village gate was certainly a welcomed sight to both from a growling noise that erupted from both of their bellies.

"Oh man. I'm so hungry," Knight whined as he held his growling stomach.

"Tell me about it," agreed Feizhi. "I haven't been this hungry in a long time. I guess that we spent more time out in the woods that either of us realized."

"Well, that's one of the reasons that I like it out there, my retreat, I mean. With all those trees around it's difficult to see the position of the sun and figure out what time of day it is. It's a good place to relax but also a good way to lose track of time, when you want to." Knight closed his eyes and lifted his face up towards the warming glow of the sun. Another thought crossed through his mind about a different reason he loved that retreat. But Knight held it back but he could not suppress the chuckle at the thought.

Feizhi looked at him with her face construed as she lifted an eyebrow wondering, "What is so funny?"

"Oh… Nothing…" Knight replied still chuckling gently.

"Obviously something is funny. What is it? What are you thinking about?" Feizhi questioned a smile forming on her delicate face as she felt the need to suppress her own laughter from the contagious chuckle of her male companion.

"There—There is another reason why I like that spot so much…"

"And that would be…?

The blond shucked his hands behind his head and cocked his head over to meet the green-eyed gaze of Feizhi and answered, "To escape from Jessica, of course!"

"Oh! You!" She gave him a gentle punch to the side and chuckled herself. "I can't believe you!"

"Oww! What? She's a very determined girl to become my wife, you know. Everyday it's almost the same thing over and over again. Shesh! She won't leave me alone…"

"Really? Is the great Knight having girl troubles?" Feizhi said in a tone of both playfulness and mockery.

"Ohhh… Back off already!"

"Did I hit a nerve?"

"I'm not exactly thrilled about always being chased around by Jessica you know! But still…" Knight's words suddenly dropped off as he recalled the words that he had spoken to his young friend earlier in the day. The scene was as clear and vivid as ever in his mind and he looked into her eyes and spoke to her in utmost seriousness. _"I want you to know that as long as I'm here that I will protect you with my life. No one is going to hurt my friend. I give you my word. And I never go back on my word."_ In a way, it was more for him than it was for her. It gave him a purpose in this world, a reason to exist. His original purpose was to return to his own town with the identity of the real villain who had attacked his town. However that purpose died along with the merchant Joliet. In a way, Jessica, with all her young female antics of trying to win him over, was the best thing that had happened to him since the day he'd left Cyril. He once again found a purpose to live: to protect Jessica and all of his friends here in Xian— that was his new purpose.

"Hey! Hello? Weyard to Knight, do you read me?"

The hand waving in front of his eyes as well as the feminine voice of Feizhi brought Knight back into reality. "Oh? Sorry… Did you say something, Feizhi?"

"Well, you stopped right in mid sentence. Was there something more you were going to say?"

"Umm…" he began hesitantly. "Well, Jessica is a special young lady. Not wife material. Well, I mean, not yet, but probably not for me!" Knight stumbled over his words.

"Yeah, I understand," Feizhi agreed.

"Well, earlier I gave her my word that I'd protect her no matter what."

"Ahhh! That's cute! And quite noble!" Feizhi admired in a serious yet playful tone.

"Oh… don't gimme that!"

"No, really! I think that you are doing a great thing! It's a rare quality to find someone who is willing to protect another person no matter what. I admire you for it. And I'm guessing that's why Jessica admires you too!"

"Knight! Knight!"

"Oh, no!" Knight sighed.

"Don't look now but your number one fan is coming this way," Feizhi said elbowing Knight.

Running towards them was indeed the small feminine form of the very girl whom they were just discussing. Her silk purple cape flew out behind her as she sprinted towards them. She wore a big smile as she usually did. A fair distance behind her was another person approaching them who was less excited than Jessica to see him.

_It figures that she'd show up just as we're talking about her. And… ohh, no…_ Knight looked up and recognized instantly the short, heavier-set brunette coming towards him._ It's Maranda and she doesn't look happy. Ugh! Looks like she's gonna go off on me. Next thing you know Master Feh is going to drop in with some bad news…_ Knight narrowed his eyes as his senses suddenly alerted him to another incoming presence. He quickly focused his mind trying to determine the exact location of this other entity. His eyes shifted to the roof of a nearby building and suddenly dropping from the sky off to their side and landing on top of the building Knight was watching was the person whom he thought it would be, Master Feh. _Whoa! That was weird! I could sense his approach before he arrived._ Feh crossed his arms and looked incriminatingly at him.

"Looks like your 'number one fan' is waiting for you just over there," Knight smirked as he spun Feizhi around so she could see who he was speaking of.

"Huh? What's he doing here?" she questioned. "He looks like something is bothering him."

"Well, I'm not sure but there's only one way to find out. It looks like this is where we go our separate ways. I'll see you around then," Knight said turning away from her and giving her a half-hearted wave with two of his finger outstretched.

"All right! I'll see you tomorrow!" Feizhi replied smiling. She watched him for a moment as he conversed with the excited Jessica about coming over for something or other. As Jessica grabbed his hand, Maranda approached the pair as "happy" as ever. Obviously something was bothering her. _Good luck, Knight._ She thought with a sigh. _You're gonna need it with her. _Feizhi turned around to see Feh standing on the ground right in front of her.

"Geez! Master Feh, you, uh… you scared me!" Feizhi placed a hand over her heart to calm her rapidly beating muscle and breathed back in the air that she gasped out in seeing her father close the gap so quickly and silently. As she looked up at him, Feizhi could discern from his lowered eyes, drooped facial features, and unusually slumped body language that something was amiss.

"Feizhi, we need to talk… about him."

* * *

The early evening air chilled the lungs of Knight as he rested atop the roof of the blacksmith's house. Shivers ran down his spine as a gentle breeze swept across the roof. He inhaled deeply and gazed up into the heavens admiring the countless sparkles of light. As he leaned back against the roof wall, Knight sighed contentedly. As usual, the meal he had just had with Jessica and her family was delicious. But something was amiss with Maranda. He couldn't quite put his finger on it; but one thing was clear, she definitely didn't talk much during dinner.

"Knight, we need to talk…"

The boy looked down to see Maranda standing a few feet in front of him. "Yeah, sure. What's up?" Knight said with a gentle smile as he patted the spot next to him; but she didn't sit down.

"You have fun today?" she asked as she crossed her arms.

"Umm… Yeah… Why?" Knight replied raising an eyebrow. _Something's wrong. She seems upset or mad about something. I didn't even do anything! So why does she seem so disturbed?_

"Oh… no reason…" Maranda shrugged off as she sat at the adjacent roof wall.

"Okaaayyy…" Knight cocked his head to the side. _Right… I bet you asked for no reason. Why is she sitting so far from me anyways?_ Knight sighed thinking, _Women. Made up of two people in one: herself and her emotions. Offend either and your done for. But, whatever._ "Anyway, did you hear about what happened at the doj…?"

"Where were you?" she asked abruptly cutting him off.

"Where was I what? What are you talk-"

"Today. Where were you today? I tried to find you but I couldn't. Today we were supposed to go to lunch together."

_Oh, yeah! I forgot!_ Knight's eyes widened. "Oh, yeah! I'm so sorry! I totally forgot! I was just so busy training in the woods that I just lost track of time."

"Really?" Maranda said raising her voice up. "So… were you all by yourself training, or what?"

Knight lifted an eyebrow in suspicion. _What's with the third degree interrogation here? Why is she so interested in what I was doing today? Wait! Unless it has something to do with… Ugh… Of course. She __**is**__ a girl after all. But if I tell her the truth then she'll just get mad at me and not talk to me. I hate that cold shoulder treatment! What do I do?_ Knight sighed. _Guess there's only one thing to do… tell her what she wants to hear and hope for the best._

"Oh, yeah… Umm… By myself. I like to be by myself sometimes. I can… uh… concentrate better and stuff," he replied in a shaky tone. Knight felt his pulse start to pump a little faster and sweat form on his forehead. _I just hope that she doesn't really know…_

"Hmm mmmh. Then how come I saw you come out of the woods with another girl?"

_Aw, crap! She knows!_

"You just lied to me!"

"No! I…"

"Knight, I saw you with Feizhi. I saw you two coming out of the woods together! What were you guys doing?"

"We weren't doing anything. She was just helping… me… train…" Knight's voice trailed off.

"Mmmmmhmmm! So you lied to me twice! I can't believe you! And now I find out that you are cheating on me with her! With Feizhi!"

"What? No! I wasn't cheating on you! How could you even think that? I would never ever do anything like that! I love you too much to hurt you like that and you know that! And, besides, I have no interest in her at all in tat way! She's just… a friend!"

"But you still lied to me! Twice, in fact! Do you know how much that hurts? Why would you do that to me?"

"Because!" Knight exclaimed. He caught his breath and spoke in a more hushed tone. "Because… I knew that you'd act this way if you found out…"

"Oh! So you decided to lie to me instead! If you are willing to hide something like this from me, then what else are you hiding from me? Hmmm?"

"No! I… I'm not hiding anything else…" Knight said trying to shrivel up against the wall. He felt limp, weak, numb. Her words cut him to the heart. He felt a deep pang in his heart as though a knife was thrust into it and twisted.

"I'm not so sure that I can believe that. You just made things worse for yourself by lying about this whole thing!" Maranda leaned back with her arms crossed satisfied that she had definitely won this argument; although, it wasn't much of an argument. She had dominated him by a landslide catching him in between two lies. There was no escape now.

"I'm… I'm sorry. I really am," Knight whispered feeling his body shake. Tears began to well up in his eyes, but he fought back the urge to cry. After all, _real men don't cry_, he thought. "I didn't mean to lie and upset you. I'm really, really sorry."

Maranda gazed over at Knight with narrowed eyes. She studied his facial expression, his tone of voice, and even his body movements to determine if he was really being sincere. She hesitated a moment as she suddenly felt bad for her friend, for her boyfriend. Her wrath began to settle just a little.

"It's okay. I forgive you, Knight."

"Listen. I'm really sorry that you thought I was cheating on you. I wouldn't do that," Knight softly reassured. "I'm sorry."

"But, Knight, what does it look like when people see you two coming out from the woods or wherever by yourselves?"

Knight stopped and thought about it for a second. _Yeah. I guess that does seem kinda bad._ He dropped his head low feeling as though he had let her down somehow.

"Just think about that, will ya? Think about how I feel. Consider my feelings." Maranda stood up and walked over to him. She then crouched down and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I love you and I do forgive you." She leaned down an hugged him reassuringly. She then released her hold on him and whispered, "Just don't let it happen again."

"Right. You got it," Knight said with a tiny shred a life. He wiped his eyes clean of the tears and breathed deeply to relax and compose himself.

"All right. Well I'm headed to bed right now. I'll see you tomorrow for breakfast, right?" Maranda said with wink.

"Yeah," Knight replied with little enthusiasm. "See you then." He watched her disappear down the stairs feeling relief that she was finally gone. He gazed up at the stars and sighed to them.

"Why? Why do I take that all the time?" He huffed. "All because I lied? No. All because you blew this whole thing out of proportion." Knight dropped his head and caught it with his hands as his face streamed with a salty liquid. "So much for getting a good's night's sleep tonight."


	7. Chapter 5: On Becoming a Man

**~ Chapter 5: On Becoming a Man ~**

"I can't believe it!" Ichon screamed as he slammed his fist into the wall of the dimly lit room in which he and a few other men were taking refuge for the night. "I can't believe that he'd send Wynn out here! Ugh!"

"What? What are you complaining about now, Ichon?" one of the men asked as he moved the last box of cargo that they'd gotten from the ship that had privately and secretly docked nearby. He was a rather large individual at around 6 feet and 220 some pounds. He quickly wiped the sweat off his bulky face and headed over to grab some water and find a nearby crate to sit on. "And who's this Wynn-character anyways?"

"She's the boss' bodyguard. He sent her here to check up on things."

Whatever water the man had drank came spewing from his mouth even before Ichon finished speaking. "Wait! What?" the man asked, his eyes widening as he felt his already racing pulse race faster.

"Yeah. And apparently he heard the rumor that his stuff is being stolen. So I had to escort this _girl_ of his around our facilities and try to convince her that everything here was okay and that nothing was being jacked."

"So that's who you were with earlier!" another man shouted as he came around the corner of the warehouse. This one was equally large, if not larger than the first guy. This man had more of a sunken face and spoke with a slight accent. "You sly dog."

"What? Shatup, Al!" Ichon shrugged off.

"Hold on… Is she the one you said that you're interested in?" the first man inquired.

"What? Wynn! Heck no, Yerlan! I wouldn't go for her in a million years!" Ichon replied in disgust. It was inconceivable! Him go out with her? No… way… in…

"Well… Is she… you know… available?" Al asked with smirk as he shot a glance to Yerlan. Both started to crack up.

"Pft! Don't know, don't care! I mean, I haven't seen her until the boss introduced her to me yesterday. But I tell you what, you don't want to mess with her! She nearly killed me and I didn't even do nothing!"

Yerlan remarked, "Sounds like my kinda girl! Fiesty! Rawww!" Yerlan and Al chuckled amongst each other and elbowed each other's ribs.

"Hmph. Well when he finds out that we really did steal from him…" Ichon froze as he imagined the look on the man's face when he found out the truth. He shook violently thinking about what the boss would do to do him when he found out. That is, _if_ he found out. He didn't know anything yet, hopefully.

"Yeah. Whatever. He's never gonna know a thing about what really happens here. By the way," Al started, "where is this girl now anyways?"

"She said that something came up and that she needed to make her report to the boss. At least, that's what she said anyways," Ichon said. "I just hope she's reporting that nothing's wrong here…"

"Well I hope she comes back. I could show her a thing or two, if ya know what I'm saying." Al said with a devious grin as he grabbed his belt and shook his pants around.

"Are you insane?" Ichon yelled.

"What?" Al said innocently releasing the grip he had on his pants. "I'm… Just saying… I could… There's a whole lot of me to go around!"

"Well… you try to show her a good time and she'll probably whip her knife out and turn you into a woman! Anyways, I don't feel comfortable talking about her. She just… she's not my type. Anyway, is it just the three of us?"

"Uh… Yeah. Pretty sure everyone else already left. So, anyway, uh, what about this other girl you've been raving about?" Yerlan asked. "You, uh, hit her up or anything, if you know what I mean," he said with a wink. Al started to burst out in his high-pitched version of what could vaguely be called laughter.

"Hmph. Nah." Ichon shook his head. "She's with this other dude. Her boyfriend or whatever."

"Huh? Who is?" Al asked somewhat composed. It looked like any moment he would start his… squealing of a laugh.

"This girl that Ichon likes!" Yerlan answered for his pal. "What was her name? Mira? Mary…?"

"No… hold on. I think it was Martha, right? Or was it, uh…" Al interjected.

"It's Maranda. Maranda Aker," Ichon corrected his friends.

"Wait? So who's this other dude?" Yerlan asked as he took another cup of water and downed it like there would be no tomorrow.

"Well, I think his name is like Knight, or some'in. I sometimes hang out with them but I can never remember his last name. Doesn't matter though. He barely talks to me anyways. But he goes to that martial arts school up the path by the river."

"Wait, you talking 'bout that blond haired kid who is like sickly skinny? Thinks he's some kind of bad-a' fighter?" Yerlan asked.

"Yeah. That's him. He makes me sick though! He eats so much and still stays that skinny! If I so much as look as food I already start to gain weight," Ichon said as he patted his rounded belly.

"I hear ya," Al agreed. "Just more to love! That's what I say!"

"Usually she's waiting for him to get out of practice from the dojo. But here's the thing…" Ichon said in a quieter tone as he looked around cautiously and leaned forward. "I don't know, a few days ago I, uh, came up to her as she was waiting for her boyfriend and, um… well… we were talking and stuff, and, uh… well… one thing led to another and next thing I know… I leaned in and kissed her."

"What?" Al shouted as his mouth dropped to the floor.

"No way! Just right there? Out in the open!" Yerlan asked his mouth also wide from the shock of this bold move.

"Oh, yeah!" Ichon said confidently as he leaned back against some crates. He then propped his feet out one the crate in front of him still smirking and nodding his head.

"Lips or cheek?" Al asked excitedly.

"Lips!"

Al and Yerlan both just burst out laughing as loud as they could. Both were hootin' and hollerin' and high-fiving each other and carrying on as loud as they could. Ichon joined in the high-fiving and laughing hysterically as they all celebrated his great achievement.

"Yo!" Yerlan said still laughing as he smacked Ichon's arm. "What about her boyfriend, man?"

"He has nooooo idea." The other guys "ohh- ho- hoo-"-ed, but Ichon raised his hands to quiet them for one more surprise. "No, but it gets better. The past two days when she's waited for him, me and her were little bit more into the woods and, uh, we _really_ got into the whole smooching and hands-all-over-each-other thing."

"Yooo, man! Give it uuuup!" Al said as he raised his hand up towards Ichon for a high five.

"Mmmhmmm! Oh, yeah!" came Ichon's reply as he nodded smugly. "And get this… we both have the day off tomorrow, so…"

"Bow shick a wawh wawh!" Yerlan said.

"Ohh…! Yeah! We'll see about that!" Ichon chuckled.

"Hey! To celebrate our friend becoming a man, let's break out the good stuff!" Al said as he popped open a nearby crate and reached in. He pulled out three large bottles of hard ale and handed them to his friends. "Here 'ya go! The good stuff!"

"Ohh, yeah! This some of that stuff from the ship?"

"Hmm mmh. You know it! Some of that good stuff, cuz! But first…" Al raised up his bottle of ale above them. "To Ichon finally becoming a man!"

Yerlan grabbed his bottle and raised it up. "To good ale and fine women!"

"To already taken women!" Ichon shouted.

The guys clinked their bottles together celebrating well into the wee hours of the night.

"Aww crap!" shrieked Knight as he collected his belongings and quickly got dressed. "I can't believe that I overslept! I'm gonna be late and Master Feh is not gonna like this one bit. He's gonna chew me out, and… oh… dang it…!" Knight took one last look around his place and growled, or rather, his stomach growled. "I guess this means no breakfast. I have a feeling that this is gonna be a long day…"

Knight dashed out of his residence and headed towards the dojo. The light from the sun caused his eyes to squint until they adjusted to the vast difference in light from his dark room to the outside world. Knight reached the bottom of the dojo steps in record time (mostly because he ran instead of usually walking). He took a moment to catch his breath and started to climb the steps. But something struck him as odd as he reached the doors: there were no sounds coming from inside, as there usually would. It seemed a little… too quiet for a place of martial arts training. He reached out and opened the doors slowly and peered inside.

"I've been waiting for you. Come in… Knight."

Knight cautiously walked inside and looked towards his left where the dueling mat was. It was unusually dark. He shut the door and followed the short, candle-lit hallway into the main floor where sitting in the middle of the room sat master Feh. He was surrounded by lit candles. In front of the martial arts master was a small mat also surrounded by lit candles. Master Feh sat on his mat with hands folded and eyes closed. He breathed in deeply and exhaled.

"Take a seat."

Knight slowly approached the cushion on the floor trying to probe the darkness of the room with his eyes. _Why is it so dark in here? And where is everyone?_ He stepped over the candles and kneeled down on the cushion. The entire room was dark except for the two rings of seven candles each: one ring around Feh and one ring around Knight. Each ring was approximately an arm's length away if not a little bit more. The candles cast an eerie, flickering glow on the surroundings as they danced their ritual dance. Seeing the walls of the dojo was nigh impossible due to the candle-lit ring causing his eyes to constantly focus and readjust due to the flickering glare. The candles illuminated just enough to see the immediate premises of their locations and that was about it. Despite the slight warmth Knight felt from the candles, he also felt a chill run down his spine. Something inside of him was telling him, _This is not good. Be on your guard._

Knight squinted in the darkness trying to distinguish more clearly the facial features of his martial arts instructor to get some feeling of what this whole thing was about. But the ever-flickering light from the candles danced across his eyes distracting and making it difficult to focus. What little of Feh's face he did see did not sit well with Knight.

Master Feh raised his hands and folded them in front of his mouth. He then set his chin down on his protruding thumbs and finally opened his eyes. His narrowed eyes spoke volumes, yet were still somehow unreadable.

"Why are you here?"

The question caught Knight by surprise evidenced by his slight jump. "I…" he began, then paused to think for a second. "I wish to be stronger."

"Stronger? Than what?"

_What kinda dumb question is that? I want to be a better person. I want to be stronger than what I was yesterday, than what I was a week ago, than what I was a year…_ Then the thought suddenly crashed to a halt as Knight began to think about what led him to this part of the world to begin with. Memories of his time on Hanruh's ship and the people he'd met rushed at him. There on that ship perished the only lead, the only chance he had to clearing his name and finally returning to his hometown as an innocent man. His mind rewound time back further to life in his hometown, more particularly, who he had left in his hometown. _Tinaro…_

Suddenly, just as on the night his town was attacked, Knight felt a tingle of danger ripple across his senses. Acting on already poised instincts, Knight leaned back as far as he could until his head was on the ground, his eyes staring into the light of one of the candles. A blast of wind rushed above his prone body snuffing out the light from his ring of candles.

_That technique! What was…_ But before he could finish his thought, he heard another wind like sound whoosh up from where Feh was once seated. The light from Feh's candles disappeared leaving the room in total darkness. Knight quickly spring boarded backwards just in time before Feh crashed down into the floor where Knight had just been. Knight skidded back a few feet coming to a halt in a kneeling position.

"Very good. I see you have been training after all," Feh said.

"That technique…" Knight huffed as he slowly stood to his feet. His eyes were still adjusting to the darkness, but he was beginning to see the shadow of where master Feh was standing.

"Ahh… So you noticed, did you? That is the secret technique of our martial art. It's called Hakkei. It's a technique that allows one to attack using one's inner Chi. Allow me to demonstrate its effects, again…"

Knight barely had enough time to put his arms in front of himself in a defensive position before Feh unleashed another intense burst of wind. The burst struck Knight with such fierce intensity that he was flung backward the ten or fifteen feet to the back wall. The wind howled in his ears with tornado-like speed. His body crashed violently into the wall; however, the pressure from Feh's wind-like technique didn't stop immediately after. Knight felt as though the air in his body was being driven out like someone dealing numerous, continuous punches to his stomach. When the wind finally ceased after a few agonizing seconds, Knight collapsed on the ground gasping for breath. A small stream of light trickled in from the damaged wall behind allowing Knight to see Feh a bit better. Feh stood in a lower stance with his right hand extended outward in line with his right leg while his left hand was slightly extended, perpendicular from his body line.

"Tell me. Why are you here?" the question was asked again.

Knight looked up with a fierce determination embedded deep within his narrowed blue eyes. _Again with the question? What does he want from me? Unless…_ Knight paused for a moment and thought. _Unless he doesn't want me to answer because the answer is so obvious. I obviously want to become stronger. Otherwise, why would I be here?_

"You're distracted. You're movements are slow and predicable. You say that you want to become stronger. But for what purpose? To be able to beat up on others?"

Knight gasped and his eyes widened. That was the same thing his mother had said to him when he had asked about taking sword lessons. What were the both of them getting at? _I told her then that I wasn't going to beat up the other kids. That wasn't the point of getting the lessons. I wanted to be able to defend myself from the monster attacks. But she couldn't understand that part. Sword lessons would have helped me when I was defending Tinar…o…_

Feh suddenly closed the gap between them coming in for a left-handed palm smash to Knight's chest. Knight narrowed his eyes on the master. Feh planted his right foot and began his attack, both left hand and left foot in motion. Knight acted almost immediately after Feh planted his right foot. Knight spun around and deflected Feh's left hand with his right forearm. Feh countered this move by throwing his right elbow back; however, Knight was still in motion was able to catch Feh's hand with his left hand. Knight then with his free right hand focused his powers and attempted to palm smash Feh's back. The master managed to twist free of Knight's grasp and leap back far enough to be out of Knight's arm reach. However, Knight channeled his elemental power through his body and out his palm creating a focused wind blast just how Feh had done earlier. Feh already had his hands across his face in a defensive position when he was struck with Knight's wind blast. The attack was strong enough to push the master back a few more feet in the air before he skidded to a halt; but the attack wasn't as powerful as his own technique.

"Don't you dare… judge my intentions!" Knight yelled angrily. He focused his eyes on Feh.

The master froze for a second the moment he saw Knight's eyes. The ferocious violet hue of Knight's eyes stood out clearly in the darkness sending chills down the master's spine. The air suddenly became much more saturated and heavy as the aura around Knight became much darker. _What's this I sense? Such… evil in the air… Like an oppressive heat, yet the air is feels so chilly. And it seems like the pressure around me has increased. What's going on?_ _Who is this boy?_

Knight charged the master with such speed that an afterimage seemed to follow. Feh barely had time to duck under the punch thrown by Knight. Feh then spun his feet under Knight's to try to trip him up, but Knight had jumped just enough to avoid the sweeping kick. Knight spun while in the air and landed a solid kick on Feh's right side. But his kick met Feh's arms which protected his face. The force of Knight's kick caused Feh to strain underneath the tremendous force exerted on his guard. Knowing that he couldn't take many more hits like that, Feh quickly grabbed onto Knight's leg and tossed him as far from him as possible. Knight landed nimbly on his feet like a cat and skidded to a halt never once losing his stance. Before any words could be spoken, Knight charged once again as fast as the first time. But…

_Wait…! _Through the darkness, Feh barely saw the approaching shadow. He rolled off Knight's high right punch but was suddenly struck in the side with a low left hand. Feh's ribs flexed under the incredible stress, on the verge of breaking. He soared across the room and rolled on the floor several feet. Feh coughed up some of his own blood and glanced upward toward the boy. _His moves are faster than before! What's going on? This boy… he could…_ Feh gritted his teeth under the waves of pain than plagued his body sourced where he was just struck. _He's strong… perhaps even strong enough to beat me._

Knight breathed labored breaths as he glared coldly at the master lying on the floor. It felt good to finally be able to show how strong he had become. His eyes had finally adjusted to the darkness, but it was more than that: he could actually see clearly as if the light wasn't blocked from coming in! Knight smirked as he beheld the stumbling form of the great master Feh.

"Is this…" Feh began as he slowly stumbled to his feet. "Is this how you use your strength?"

"What?" came the short, angered reply.

"I'll ask again: why are you here? Why are you learning the martial arts?"

"Again with that question?" Knight clenched his fist and spoke with raised tone, "I'm here because I want to be stronger!"

Feh scoffed. "If that is your answer, if that is the culmination of everything that you've learned here about the martial arts then you have learned nothing at all."

"Say what?" Knight responded in an almost disbelieving tone. "Are you saying that I've been wasting my time here?"

"If you have learned the martial arts only to become stronger then you have learned nothing at all. Which is why, from here on out, I will no longer be your teacher."

"What? You're…" Knight felt his anger kindle as he clenched his hands into tight fists. "You're kicking me out! But why?"

"Because you don't know is reason enough!" Feh countered.

"That's… that's absurd!" Knight focused his psynergic power to his hand and punched the air towards Feh releasing a burst of wind.

Feh countered by palm smashing the air in front of him. Feh's wind attack and Knight's wind attack met halfway between the pair, but Feh's attack sliced through and dispersed Knight's attack. Knight's surprise was short-lived when he was struck with Feh's attack. It felt as though his inner organs were being torn to pieces. _Such strength!_ Knight doubled over in pain holding his stomach. It was incredible! His eyes were clenched so tight that tears began to trickle out of them. _That technique! Any closer and I would have been a goner. But still… even at such a distance…_ Knight glanced up towards Feh estimating the distance in his mind. _To be able to cause such damage…_ When the pain subsided enough, Knight slowly stood to his feet. He still had to hold his stomach, but still, he was standing even if his legs felt rubbery and weak. He glared over at the master who seemed to have a sympathetic, almost regretful look in his eyes.

"Do you even know what I did here yesterday? I prevented Valleroy from killing another student! I not only stopped the fight but I also saved Feizhi from being harmed! Doesn't any of that matter?"

Feh took in a deep breath a hesitated for a few moments. "No… I haven't forgotten what you've done. To be honest, you're one of the best students I've ever had. And you remind me a lot like me in my younger years. You have so much potential. And I feel like you will make a difference in this world." For the first time since they had been in the dojo, Feh smiled. "I want you to stay, I really do. However, I can't permit you to train with the other students. Unfortunately, you too broke the rules and attacked with weapons."

"But Valleroy…!" Knight interjected.

"I know what he did. And he's getting a much more severe punishment. But whatever happens to him, what is that to you? You should be more concerned about yourself." Feh sighed as his eyes matched his drooped posture. "I will allow you to be my pupil once again, but only after you serve out your punishment."

"And that would be…"

"For breaking the rules of this dojo you are not allowed to train here for a whole month."

"A whole month!" Knight exclaimed almost disbelievingly.

Feh held up a hand to silence his pupil. "Furthermore, during your month of probation, you are to clean up and repair this dojo. You will do this without speaking to any of the other students, including Feizhi."

"Really?" Knight said exasperated. "I can see not talking to the other students, but why Feizhi?" Knight asked with raised eyebrow.

Feh sighed and lightly stroked his beard. Knight had noticed that he did that when he was nervous. "Not talking to Feizhi is not part of your punishment for breaking the rules. That is my own decision." Feh then addressed Knight's confused-looking facial expression. "It's for her protection as well as yours. Besides, you are seeing someone, right?"

Knight furrowed his brow in contemplation as he let his words sink in. _For her protection __**and**__ my protection. Really? That's the best excuse you've got? That doesn't make sense! _He sighed and looked up at Feh. "Whether I'm seeing someone or not doesn't matter. Feizhi was… is my friend. And now you're trying to break up our friendship! I know I'm an outsider. That being said, I don't know a lot of people nor do I have a lot of friends. And now you're telling me that I can't even talk to one of my only friends that I have here?"

"Please, you must understand. I only wish to protect her. She is my daughter after all. And it will only be for a month."

Knight averted his eyes and exhaled disgustedly. "I still don't understand. I was doing the right thing and yet I'm the one being punished. Doesn't seem fair at all…"

"Well, you do have a choice. You can choose to stay here, man up, and serve your punishment or you can choose to leave. However, if you do leave then I'll have no choice but to expel from this dojo forever. It's your choice."

Knight dropped his head and thought for a moment. _I know it's my choice! Hmph. I don't really want to stay, but if I leave then I can never step foot in here again. I don't really have anywhere else to go either. Besides…_ Knight recalled the technique that Feh had just used against him… twice. _It would be a waste not to learn that technique. Guess that I have no choice. After all, it shouldn't be that bad… I've got Maranda at least…_

"I'll… I'll stay…" Knight said defeatedly.

"Good." Feh again smiled. "I knew you'd make the right decision. Owning up to what you've done is a true sign of becoming a man."


	8. Chapter 6: Cheater's Secrets

**~ Chapter 6: Cheater's Secrets ~**

Nearly a week had passed since the duel in the dojo between Valleroy and Knight, however, despite the amount of time that had past, everyone of Feh's dojo still seemed tense. Of course, the air was not as tense as the first few days after the duel, but still it was tense. Or it could more accurately be put as heavy. Rumors spread quickly across town and by the end of the week, nearly every person in town had heard some kind of rumor regarding the "dojo duel" as it was called. But since the event, things seemed to have calmed down a bit.

Knight had finally settled into a routine and was finally getting back to some normalcy in his life. However, even after a week, the other students still looked on him with uneasiness. At first their looks bothered him; but after a week, Knight merely passed off their eyes as if they were nothing. He knew that he had done the right thing. So it didn't matter what the other students thought of him. It only mattered what he thought of himself. And he had done what none of the other students did… the right thing.

The labor at the dojo was hard work; it was almost as hard of work as training. But Knight figured out that if he worked quickly enough, he could finish his assignments and leave before the other students were dismissed. This was a welcomed change from his usual schedule because it meant that he had more time to relax in the afternoon. And he would have a lot more time to train and get stronger, but only if he wanted to.

It was the last day of the week and, as days before, the back doors of the dojo slide open and a dirtied Knight walked out. He had to shield his eyes from the blazing sun which had made this summer season rather warm. Knight slowly walked around the dojo admiring how blue and cloudless the sky was. He breathed in deeply and closed his eyes feeling his lungs fill with fresh summer air. He exhaled softly and slowly opened his eyes once again.

"What a beautiful day to be outside!" Knight stretched out his arms and yawned feeling his joints creak from a day's hard work. Knight leapt down from the dojo platform and landed on the ground without so much as a sound. Dust clouded around his feet but quickly settled back down. He stood up and brushed the dirt off of his clothes. Knight glanced back to the dojo and said aloud to no one in particular, "Feh can be such a taskmaster. Making me paint and polish and mop… Ugh… I am so ready for a nap."

Knight turned north and began heading to where his hideout was. He only took a few steps when he noticed a young girl walking in the opposite direction as him. Her hair was roughly shoulder length and was colored a violet hue almost the same shade as Feizhi's hair. She had a very feminine physique, and she filled out her sleeveless purple robe nicely. The purple robe with its light purple cherry petals designs complemented her hair color well. Her robe was tied with a purple ribbon and fell a little past waist level covering her shorts which only reached to about mid thigh. Her smooth legs glimmered in the sunlight and ended in some brownish colored sandals that she was wearing. But the most striking feature about her was not her clothing or even the alluring curves of her body; the most striking feature about her that drew Knight in the most was her sparkling golden eyes.

"Woh!" Knight gawked. He then suddenly caught himself not only for staring but also for speaking out loud. He awkwardly rubbed his mouth as he passed her by. _Wow! She is really, really good-looking! And…_ Knight sniffed the aroma that wafted to his nose as she passed. _Ohhh… And she smells really good too! Like… apples or something… Mmmm… I like apples…_ Knight shook his head in vain trying to rid her scent from his mind. _Wait, No! I can't think like that! I have a girlfriend! And I have to stay true to her…_ _But still… _Knight started to run to his hideout; but, he couldn't help but take one more look back at her and smile.

The girl smiled feeling the tingle on her neck telling her that someone was watching her. "Hmph. Well that wasn't too hard. I certainly made an impression on him." She smiled and looked down at her chest. Her robe was folded in such a way so as to show off the crease of her cleavage. "All it takes to lure men out in is to show them these." She huffed. "Men are so disgustingly predictable. And speaking of being disgusting and predictable, I'd better check up on Ichon. I'd definitely get a bonus if I complete my mission and take him down as well."

She was at the warehouse within a few moments and expected Ichon to come running out in a hurry to probably conceal whatever illegal activity he and his buddies were up to. However, no one came running out to stop her. There weren't even any guards posted to keep a lookout for the rumored "thief."

_Hmmm…_ she thought. _Where is everybody? _She walked up to the front of the building and started to walk around it. Empty crates and boxes were thrown around haphazardly and various pieces of paper and trash littered the grounds. _What a mess! And he tells us that he has everything under control._ She dodged around the various obstacles and was about to round the corner when she heard a noise. Instantly she placed her back on the side of the building near the corner and reached for her weapons but didn't draw anything out. Instead she calmed her breathing and focused on the source. She heard the sound again this time coming from inside the facility. It was hard to describe, but it roughly sounded like a squeak… almost.

She looked around the corner but didn't see anything or anyone. She did see more boxes and crates piled up all around. Quickly and without a sound, she rounded the corner and hid behind some of the crates. _At least these are good for something._ She heard the sound again, but it sounded like less like squeaking and more like wet smacking, lip smackin'. She looked up and saw a small open window with boxes and crates stacked up to it.

With all of the training she had received, Wynn silently climbed on top of the numerous stacks of crates and boxes and cautiously peered inside. It took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the difference in light. But once her eyes adjusted, she could clearly see what was going on.

"Ohh… Ichon!" moaned a female voice. "That feels soooo good!"

"Ohh yeah? You like that, Maranda?" Ichon asked mischievously.

Wynn looked on from her vantage point seeing everything that they were doing. The pair wriggled together kissing and making out on a make-shift kind of bed composed of a few layers of wood from the crates and a few layers of blankets for softness. As she watched on, her face contorted more and more the longer she watched. Ichon reached for her shirt when he was stopped by the girl.

"Wait!"

"Huh? What is it, Maranda?"

Wynn crouched back thinking that she had been spotted.

"What time is it?"

"I dunno. Does it matter?" Ichon asked flirtingly as he started to advance again.

Maranda pushed him away slightly. "I'm being serious! I just don't want _him_ to get suspicious and think that something is up between us."

"We've been doing this the past couple of days now and have been late before. So why's it matter now?"

"Hmm… Yeah, well, I guess you're right. But still…" Maranda said with a sliver of worry. "I don't want him to find out."

"Well then, we'd better make this quick, eh. You ready?" Ichon asked mischievously gazing deep into her eyes with lust. She nodded and they started to remove each other's clothing.

Wynn had seen enough. She backed away from the window repulsed at what she had seen. She expertly climbed down the boxes and landed quietly on the ground. Her body shook as her mind recalled what she had seen.

"Ughh! Disgusting! Ichon you truly are disgusting. Not only am I scared for life but now I'm gonna have to go throw up somewhere…" Wynn shook her head and started to head towards the woods. "Whoever Ichon and that girl were talking about must be a real sucker. I _almost_ feel sorry for the kid… almost."

WK WK WK WK

"Achoo! Achoo! Ahh… ahh… chooo!" Knight shook his head and wiped his nose clean. "Man, how's that sayin' go? Something 'bout sneezing three times means someone's talkin' about you, or doesn't like you or something like that…? Oh well! Whatever! Let them talk. Like I care what people say anyways…" Knight leaned back against his shade tree and rested his hands behind his head. He inhaled deeply letting the cool forest air soothe his weary body and soul. A gentle breeze blew through the woods causing the leaves and grass to wave aimlessly. Knight closed his eyes for a second and, just for a moment, a smile appeared across his lips and he felt relaxed and at peace. But the peace he felt was short lived as his mind began to bring back recent events, and about what he'd heard people say about him.

"Why me?" he sighed half expecting an answer. "Why is all this happening to me?" He gazed up into the sky only to see a wooden canopy of leaves and tree branches overshadowing him. "I did the right thing, didn't I? So then why am I the one being punished for his open defiance of the rules?"

He reached out to the trees and pretended to grasp at the branches of the tree tops. He then opened his hand his palm curling downward. Knight simply stared at his hand and slowly brought it down to chest level. He brought his other hand out from behind his head and next to his right hand. Knight slowly narrowed his eyes on his hands and summoned that familiar static power that dwelt within his body. The hairs on his hands suddenly stood up. Gentle sounds of crackling electricity soon became more audible. A small blue spark leapt from his right thumb to his right ring finger. Then he clenched his hands into fists and watched as blue lightning bolts danced across his fists. Knight then slowly opened his fists and pointed his fingers at each other a few inches in distance. The blue bolts danced from his fingertips and from hand to hand. He twisted his hands slightly and watched as the lightning contorted to still connect his fingers with electricity. Then Knight clenched his hands and dispelled the lightning. Blue particles leapt from his hands forming tiny balls of light that dissipated within seconds.

"I just need to get my mind off of things. I…" he sighed. "I just don't want to think about them anymore," Knight told himself as he slowly stood to his feet. He stretched out feeling the familiar cracks of his joints and the tension of his muscles. He yawned a great big yawn then fell into a battle-ready stance. Knight fluidly waved his arms in around his body while he concentrated his breathing and focused his mind. Then as he finished his initial warm-up, Knight bowed his head, closed his eyes and extended both arms outward from either side of his body. He then inhaled deeply feeling his body totally relaxed and his mind keenly sharpened.

Suddenly, Knight leaned to his right foot and brought his left hand across his body as if to strike an opponent in the chest while his right hand retracted. Both left and right hands moved in perfect opposite unison. When Knight stepped with his left foot, his left hand didn't extend forward as if to strike, but angled upwards in front of his face in a defensive position. Knight then brought his right hand outward and struck the invisible enemy. Imagining another enemy approaching from his right side, Knight kicked his right foot out into where the stomach would be. Knight then dropped his right foot and swung his left foot across his opponent's head. Using his momentum from the kick, Knight spun around 180°, planted his left foot, and readied his hands in a low position.

A brief moment passed before Knight moved back into action, this time coming up on one foot as if to front kick. Then he saw two enemies approaching from both his left side and his right side. Knight halted his forward kick and kicked out with his right foot then with his left foot. When he planted his left foot downward, Knight saw that there was another enemy approaching from behind at the spot where he initially would have front kicked. Using his momentum, Knight spun around, feigned a left kick and attacked with aerial knee to the face.

The moment he touched ground, Knight's hands came together and he focused on a group attacking from behind. Focusing his powers into his hands, Knight stepped forward with his right foot and shot out blue lightning bolts from his both of his hands. He then kicked his left foot back up into the face of another opponent. Knight then focused on another element and flicked the fingers of his right hand outward to his right side. Small jagged particles of ice sprayed from his fingertips and outward embedding themselves into the trees. Knight then did the same thing this time with his left hand and out in front of him. The inch pieces of rough ice impaled into the trees ahead of him making audible thudding noises. He paused and took a few breaths allowing himself to catch his breath. The sounds of his training started to calm down if just for a moment. Knight then focused on his Jupiter element and smirked. _A little bit longer won't hurt._

Suddenly, Knight heard a sound of a snapping twig behind him which caused him to inhale sharply. Instinctly, Knight charged up his left hand and swung it back. He then let loose four glowing blades of lightning. But by the time his eyes caught up with his hands, it was too late to recall his attack. Standing behind a tree and in the line of attack was a girl with purple hair, golden eyes and wearing a purple robe with light purple cherry blossom designs on the robe.

_It's her!_ Knight exclaimed mentally. _That's the girl from earlier!_

The girl who had been peeking around the right side of the tree tried to avoid the attack by taking a step to her right. But she tripped on one of the tree roots and started to fall to the ground. The lightning blades pierced through the thin tree trunk sending bits and pieces of wood flying. One of the blades that passed through the tree grazed across the girl's left arm as she fell.

_Ohhh noo! This is bad!_ Knight said mentally feeling his body tremble with nervousness as he awkwardly walked/jogged/ran over to the girl. "A-ah-a…" Knight's hands were visibly shaking when he neared the girl. Then the smell of apples wafted up to his nose. Oh, that smell was so intoxicating! So fresh and clean and…

Knight shook his head and cleared his throat trying to regain control over his body. "A-ah… are you all right?" he finally managed to ask as he extended his hand out towards her.

The girl who was holding her left arm with her right hand looked up at him. Their eyes met and just for a moment, she couldn't speak. There was something in his eyes, something innocent and sweet. His ocean blue eyes washed over her as calming waves on a beachfront that made her feel… safe.

She mentally snapped out of her few second daze and dropped her right hand and reached for Knight's extended hand. "I'm fine."

The moment her hand touched his, Knight felt an unusual sensation wash over his body. He felt somewhat giddy though he couldn't understand why. _Who is this girl?_ he wondered as he looked at her hand. Her hand was so smooth and soft not to mention it was warm. Knight pulled her up off the ground gently and once again smelled her aroma. He couldn't get enough. Just what was it about that smell? It was so alluring. He couldn't remember the last time Maranda had smelled this… this… delicious!

_Stop it, Knight!_ he screamed at himself. _Focus on helping her! Besides, you already have someone who loves you! And she's a handful as it is._ Knight tried to suppress his giddy feelings but still sort of half smiled at her. It was hard not to smile at her. She wasn't just cute, she was beautiful! _Still… she looks… great. Almost better than Maran…_ he didn't finish his thought and took his own advice.

"I am so sorry. I…?" he paused noticing her left arm. "Your arm? You're hurt!" Knight exclaimed as he rotated her left arm around to look it more carefully. He noticed that the cut on her arm wasn't very deep, probably about 2 or 3 millimeter he estimated. The actual cut was roughly two inches long. But something was out of place about it. Normally, a cut to the surface of the skin such as this one would cause one to bleed even just for a little bit. However, the cut not only wasn't bleeding but looked as though it were seared shut. And on top of that, there were black scarring marks radiating out from the cut. "That's weird," he thought aloud.

The girl wrenched her arm away and placed her right hand back up to cover it. "It's nothing. I'll be all right. I've been through worse," she smirked as her eyes dropped. She'd been through a lot worse.

Knight's head jerked slightly noticing that slight shift in her eye movements. But he just filed that into the back of his mind. "For someone like you, I kinda find that hard to believe, miss…"

"You can call me Aella…" she smiled at him and reached out to shake his hand. She didn't use her first name because that name was too soft for an undercover job. She felt her first name personified an aspect of weakness that she could not afford to have if her objectives were to be fulfilled. However, her last name was the embodiment of who she was, of what she could do, and of what she was known for. She couldn't afford meaningless friendships. She had come too far and been through too much to let something like friendship stand in her way. "Well, believe it or not," she remarked. "I've been through quite a lot, um…"

"Ohh! Knight! Knight Yarvon! It's a pleasure to meet you," he answered as she gently shook her hand.

"Same here," Aella replied smiling at him.

"So what brings you out here?" Knight asked.

"I, uh… well, I was, um… just taking a walk through the woods when I heard some noises coming from this direction and decided to check it out."

Knight eyed her incredulously taking in every subtle movement of her body that seemed to indicate something amiss about her story. "You were just walking through the woods, by yourself?"

"Yeah! Um… why?" Aella asked feeling a bit uneasy but never showing it.

"I don't know. I just think it's kinda odd that you'd be out so far from the regular paths through the forest. And that you're not with anyone. I mean, surely you must have a…"

"…boyfriend?" Aella finished. "No. I've… I've been single for a long time now. Besides, I haven't really had time to have one 'cuz of all the work I have to do." It was true. Between her training and her checking up on her master's shipments and the various other tasks he made her do, she'd be lucky to even have a guy let alone maintain a relationship. But what she didn't tell her was that her master wouldn't allow her to have a boyfriend, a real boyfriend and not for an undercover mission like this one. And besides, what good would a boyfriend do her?

Knight's eyes slowly started to linger downward taking in the smooth feminine curves of her body. She was certainly a lot skinnier than Maranda and though she was not as blessed as Maranda up top, Aella still had enough to make him notice. "Ohh… I see…" Knight's face started to blush as he swallowed a lump that had developed in his throat feeling a desire long since dormant coming back to him as he beheld this beautiful young girl. He quickly averted his eyes only to have them meet the gaze of this gold-eyed vixen.

Aella noticed the subtle shift in of Knight's eyes as he looked upon her and could sense his growing desire. She saw sweat start to bead up on his forehead as he swallowed. His face flushed as their eyes made contact. She raised an eyebrow and smiled seductively at him knowing what he was probably thinking.

"So… how about you?" Aella spoke in her most smooth, sultry tone. "See anything you like?" she asked seductively tracing the trim of the front of her robe with her fingers as she bit her lip. She looked up at him with eyes of desire as her fingers went from the top of her robe down to the middle of her chest.

"I…" Knight began but had to swallow again. He cleared his throat and rocked his neck back and forth to stretch it out. "I'm a… al…ready taken." He chuckled nervously. He clenched his hands into fists feeling the sweat that had already soaked his palms. Why had it gotten so warm all of the sudden?

"Oh… That's too bad…" Aella said sadly pouting her lip. "So, what's her name?"

Knight suddenly became aware of his situation. He was alone with a girl in the most secluded place in the woods. The last time he had come out of the woods with a girl, Feizhi, Maranda had accused him of cheating and they hadn't even done anything! But after all the hurt that Maranda had put him through, he was gonna make sure that he would never make that mistake again. _Maranda would kill me if she were to find out! It's probably about time to meet up for dinner anyways. I'll have to make this quick._

"Her name is Maranda. Maranda Aker."

Something in Aella's mind clicked when she heard the name. Her brow furrowed as she thought aloud, "Hmm… I've heard that name somewhere before… but…"

"Ohh… well, um… I'm sorry. But I have to go now. I have to meet up with her for dinner. And I don't like being late," Knight said already taking a few steps away from Aella. "It was, um," he swallowed again, "nice meeting 'ya."

Aella smiled at him and waved gracefully. "You too! Well have fun! I'll see _you_ later!"

Knight smiled gently but furrowed his brow in confusion. "Oh… Okay! B-bye!"

Aella watched him as he retreated nearly tripping over a root. He regained his footing and laughed nervously and then disappeared into the woods headed back towards town. Aella relaxed feeling the pressure of having to act all cute and lady-like vanish away with the absence of her target. It was hard enough pretending to be all flirty with him even just for a few minutes! How was she supposed to keep this up? And for how long?

She looked away and around the natural seclusion the forest offered in this spot. As she started to look over herself and readjust all of her clothing, she couldn't help but smile and shake her head as she recalled his eyes roaming across her body. "Men…" she said still shaking her head.

Then, as she finished adjusting her outfit, she looked up and in the direction of where he had ran off to. "Still… he is quite charming and rather cute. But he was nervous, that much was obvious!" She smirked. But her smirk gradually turned into a smile. She recalled looking into his eyes and feeling calm and relaxed, and for the first time in a long time… safe. There was a certain innocence in his eyes as well as a certain charm that she hadn't seen in men's eyes for a long time. And he had a very gentlemanly approach, for the most part. She'd been in similar situations where her target had taken advantage of their situation of being alone. Besides his roaming eyes, this target exhibited much more restraint and gentlemanly conduct than most nobles she had come into contact with while undercover.

"What am I thinking?" Aella suddenly burst out. "My mission is to get him to my master. Nothing more." She shook her head trying to push back her thoughts to focus on the task she'd been assigned. She couldn't afford to be distracted. Distractions meant death. Her master had drilled those words into quite well.

Aella sighed looking up slightly at the closest branches. "Guess I should…" She suddenly stopped as the name Maranda rang back through her mind and where she had heard that name before. Her eyes grew wide as her mouth dropped. "No… way…! It couldn't be!" She stood her ground stunned by the thought she'd just had. _Could she be…_ Aella closed her mouth and focused her attention forward. _There's only one way to find out!_ Using her Jupiter powers, she leapt up to a low lying branch and made her way to the town in the branches of the trees.

WK WK WK WK

"Where are they?" Knight said as he sighed again. "They're late. And I am so hungry. I wish they'd hurry up. I don't understand what's keeping them so long. I mean, I try to set the example to her to be on time but she just doesn't seem to get it." He sighed again looking around exasperatedly. "Why does she think that she can be late just 'cuz she's a girl? If I'm late just a few minutes, she explodes in my face! That makes a lot of sense…"

Knight paced back and forth in their usual meeting spot looking for any sign of them. He sighed again and stretched out his arms. Seeing a bench nearby, Knight walked over to it and sat down and ran his fingers through his hair. Something in the trees nearby caught his attention. He looked up and over to the trees where he had just come from but saw nothing. Just the wind blowing the leaves of the trees around. _Hmph. Weird. Coulda swore I saw something…_

"Knight!"

The boy looked up at the sound of his name being called and saw coming down the road both Maranda and Ichon. He sighed finally gonna get the chance to go eat.

"Sorry we're late. It's, uh… my fault," Maranda began. "I just couldn't seem to find something that didn't make me look fat."

Ichon smirked and chuckled to himself, but Knight blew him off as him being his usual weird self. Knight kinda sighed and rolled his eyes. "I told you before, you're not fat."

"But I am!" came the protested cry. "Just look at this fat roll!" she said grabbing her belly and tugging on her fat.

She was right. She did have a roll of fat on her belly. But if there's one thing Knight had learned about dealing with women and their weight issues, it's a losing battle. Still, he tried his best to encourage her and then jump off the subject as fast as possible.

"No you're not fat. You're very pretty And I love you even with that."

"Then you agree with me that I'm fat…" Maranda said.

_What? Did she not just hear me say that she isn't fat! Come on! Open your ears!_ Knight smiled and replied a bit more harshly, "No you're not fat!" Knight could feel his emotions start to rise and the tension increase in his voice. "Maranda, look… I love you no matter what you seem to think about yourself. I think that you're pretty and my opinion is all that matters."

"Really?" Maranda asked in a child-like tone.

"Really!" Knight said affirmatively.

"Ewwwch! Come guys!" Ichon commented. "I'm hungry! Let's eat!"

Knight just looked at the doped-up bear guy and rolled his eyes at him. _Shut up! We would have already been at dinner had you guys gotten here on time!_ As they headed off for dinner, Knight felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up on end. He briefly turned to look behind him expecting to see someone watch him; however, he didn't see any one person staring in his direction. He shrugged his shoulders and turned around and looked at both Maranda and Ichon. He couldn't help but feel that something was out of place. Lately it seemed like Ichon was the first one to arrive in their group, but today he was late. He was always late before. Just in the past couple of weeks or so, he'd been not only on time but early! Maranda being late didn't surprise him 'cuz she was always late… always, save for two times which Knight had taken note of. Despite what he felt and sensed, Knight just passed off all of those thoughts and feelings off thankful that he'd finally be able to have some food in his stomach.


	9. Chapter 7: Revelation and Devastation

**~ Chapter 7: Revelation and Devastation ~**

The day after his meeting with Aella, and, once again, Knight was relaxing in his wooded hideout glad to be done with his responsibilities early for the day. As he relaxed under the cloudy sky and closed his eyes, his thoughts drifted back to his encounter with the girl the day before. Just who exactly was that girl? And why had such a good-looking girl approached him? Knight never really considered himself handsome or someone to look at. And he especially didn't think of himself as one who'd attract girls just by his looks. He considered himself as average. And usually average people are not approached by attractive people. It was… weird, in a way, but also it made him feel good to be noticed. She had even flirted with him!

Knight blew out a breath of air trying to breath out the memory of her. He had a girlfriend, though, at times, she treated him like a child. But Maranda was still his girlfriend. And he had to be true to her. After all, if he couldn't live out the vows of marriage now, then how would he live out those vows later once he did take them?

Knight's smile soon turned when he thought of his relationship with her lately. Lately, she just seemed to be more distant than she used to be. And at times she was more critical than when they had first met. Not being of an outspoken nature and not wanting to hurt her feelings, Knight simply accepted her verbal abuse without a word even at the expense of his own feelings being hurt. But despite the length of their relationship, Knight had begun to have his doubts about them being together for at least the past month or so. However, he could never express these doubts to her sure that she'd go off on him and leave him all alone. And he would not be able to handle another one of her lectures again.

Once again, as like yesterday, Knight heard a twig snap followed by some rustling leaves. He sat up abruptly and froze feeling his muscles tense from the anxiety of being discovered. He listened carefully trying to pinpoint the sound. Apparently, whoever it was wanted him to know they were coming; they were making little to no effort to mask their approach. Then a familiar, sweet aroma wafted past his nose. It was an alluring, even intoxicating scent of some kind of fruit. He'd smelled this relaxing aroma before. Emerging from behind a tree off behind and to his right sauntered the elegantly slim figure of Aella.

"Ohh! It's you again!" Knight said with a smile. _Man, she looks good. _He inhaled deeply. _And she smells good too! Ugh! Why is that scent so… tempting?_ he thought as his eyes scanned her up and down. This time she wore a flowing purplish kimono with a pattern of a rising sun near the hem of the garment. The rays from the rising sun were colored pink and purple and spread out from the bottom of the garment to the top. Though this outfit was not as… provocative as the one she wore yesterday, she still managed to make this more modest outfit… appealing.

"Hey," Aella chimed. "Is there room for one more here in your, uh, secluded hideout?"

The way she spoke sent chills down Knight's spine. Her flirtatious tone caused him to smile and shake his head as if not believing that she just asked that question in that tone. Maranda hadn't talked to him like that in a long time. It felt good to have a woman make him feel like a man again and flirt with him rather than putting him down. And it felt good to flirt back without fear of reprimand.

"Yeah, I think there's just enough room for one more," he replied teasingly.

"Great!" Aella said excited as she sat down and leaned back against a nearby tree.

Knight watched her movements, studied every subtle shift of her body, and gazed interestedly at this young beauty who had come back to see him, of all people! He noted how that the kimono clung so close to her body that he could see her slender figure and her feminine curves. As she sat down, he watched her smooth legs slip out of the part of her kimono before she tucked her legs beside her. Knight was so lost in admiring her beauty that he didn't realize that she was now looking at him.

"Hm…" Knight cleared his throat awkwardly feeling his face flush with color. "So, uhm… what brings you out here, to my hideout… again?"

"Ohh… well you know… I just in the area and I'd figured I'd find you here. So I thought I'd stop by to see how you were doing," she said calmly.

"Riiight… okay," Knight said with a smile not believing her. "Sooo, really? Why are you here?"

"I just wanted to talk. Is that so wrong?" she answered innocently.

"No, I… I guess not," Knight admitted. "Umm… by the way, what was your name again? I kinda forgot…"

Aella smiled cutely at him and at his ignorance. Or maybe it was his innocence as to why she smiled at him. "Aella. And you're Knight, right?"

He smiled and nodded his head. "Yeah! Wow, you sure have a good memory!" _And you look good too!_ That last thought passed through his mind so fast that it caught him off guard. _Stop it, Knight, _he scolded himself, _she's just a friend. Or more like an acquaintance. I mean, I barely know her, who she is!_

"So do you come out here often?" Aella asked, breaking Knight's thoughts.

He furrowed his brow slightly wondering why she needed to know. But he figured it wouldn't hurt to tell her, right? "Yeah, when I can. See, I usually come out here to relax and, like, escape from the world, or something like that. Kinda like my little sanctuary."

"Ohh… I see…" Aella nodded her head in understanding. "Well it is very secluded…"

Knight couldn't help but look over at her out of the corner of his eyes. Her tone suggested action, at least on her part. He readied himself in case she did try to do anything; but, she didn't. Instead, she leaned her head up to look at the tree canopy. But she still kept her gaze on him out of the corner of her eyes.

"So what exactly do you escape from?" Aella asked.

"You know, just stuff," Knight remarked nonchalantly. _Frankly, it's none of your business._

Aella nodded her head and hmmmed. "I see. So like the duel you had at the dojo? Or is it the way you were unfairly treated by being punished along with the other kid? Stuff like that, right?"

Knight inhaled sharply feeling his heart rate quicken. "Wha… How do _you_ know about that?"

"Word gets around… besides, I kinda peeked in on the duel. I must say, you were very impressive against him, even though you did have an advantage over him."

"What?" Knight asked as he raised an eyebrow at her. _What's that supposed to mean?_

"Ohh… nothing…" Aella said mischievously. She looked over at him and winked. "But I must ask you, what was that that you threw at me yesterday?"

Knight began to feel a bit nervous and uncomfortable. Something in the back of his mind whispered, _She knows something about you. She knows about you. Your secret. Run, you fool! Run!_ He cleared his throat trying to think of some kind of excuse or explanation, but nothing was coming to mind. He didn't want to reveal his secret; however, there was something in the way she looked at him that made him _want_ to tell her. If her beauty was a reflection of her trustworthiness, then she would be the most trustworthy person around. But his instincts told him not to say anything.

She smiled at him obviously sensing his inner struggle. "It's okay. You can tell me. What were those?"

Knight sighed and gave in. She obviously was no dumb beauty. "Those were my Lightning Daggers. Or that's what I call them at least."

"So then you must be an Adept from the Jupiter clan?"

"I—what?" Knight did a double take. He'd read that the Jupiter clan was an ancient clan of warriors that used lightning and wind as their elements of offense. The Jupiter clan was rumored to be few in numbers, if not already extinct. And if any lived, they were rumored to be on the far continent of Atteka (where the Jupiter lighthouse resided) and on the island continent to the north Hesperia. He was neither from Atteka nor Hesperia; so he couldn't be a Jupiter clan Adept. "I don't know," he said quite unsure of himself. "I don't think so."

"Surely you must! You wield lightning! Only those of the Jupiter clan can do that!" Aella paused seeing the confusion as well as the urge to run away portrayed on Knight's face. "Oh… I'm.. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. Here! Let me show you something!"

Aella stood up and adjusted her clothes. She briefly glanced over at the blond and smiled at him as she lifted her left hand up and closed her eyes. Her breathing became slower… well, maybe not slower as much as it became more focused. Then her hand extended all the way and a bolt of blue lightning streaked from her fingers and crashed into the trees on the other side sending splinters of wood flying in all directions. Aella looked back at Knight who was openly gaping at what he'd just seen.

"You're…!" Knight began.

"That's right," Aella affirmed. "I'm a Jupiter Adept, just like you. So, now that I know your secret and you know my secret, do you trust me now?"

Knight slowly started to smile and then broke out into a small laugh. He looked up into her eyes and couldn't help but smile bigger. "Yeah! Sure!" The air still crackled with excitement as the smell of ozone slowly diffused into the air being replaced by that sweet, intoxicating aroma emanating from Aella.

With her back turned to him, Aella turned her head and said, "Great! Then when I tell you this then you'll believe me."

"Huh? What was that?" Knight asked. "Tell me what?"

"Let me ask you something first. You have a girlfriend, right?" Aella turned and sat on the ground nearly across from Knight. "Have you ever taken her out here? It's secluded enough that you guys could do whatever and nobody would know."

"I… what?" Knight said his head recoiling back. He laughed nervously and replied, "I, um… no! No! We've never… I mean," Knight cleared his throat. "Our relationship is not about doing stuff like what I think you're suggesting."

"Well then, how do you guys stay together if you're not, you know…?" Aella started to ask as she began to make some kind of gesture of her hands folding together or something.

"I… I'm not sure that we should be having this kind of conversation," Knight interrupted with a nervous, quivering voice. "Besides, there's more to a relationship than just the physical stuff."

"Really? More than physical stuff? Like… like what?" Aella asked with her head cocked slightly to one side. For the first time in a long time, she did not fully understanding what someone was talking about. She had been taught by her master that in order for a relationship between a man and woman to carry on, that they needed to be intimate with each other. That was evident enough between her and him. And even when she went on longer undercover missions, she would have to be intimate with her targets until the mission was complete. And neither her master nor some of her targets had been exactly gentle with her. That was perhaps one of the reasons why she despised men so much.

"Well like, companionship. Or friendship. Or, like… um… just hanging out and talking with each other. It's not all based on the physical part of the relationship. There are feelings to take into account and getting to know the other person better. I mean, after all, you date… you're in a relationship to find out who you're gonna marry. That… that's just how I feel about it anyway."

All these things he was speaking about – taking feelings into account and getting to know the other person – were foreign to Aella. No one really took her feelings into account nor took the time to really get to know her. It was hard to grasp what exactly he was talking about because she had nothing to really relate to what he was talking about. She was just used as a weapon and as a play thing to satisfy her master's pleasure-driven whims. The more she tried to comprehend what he had said the more Aella felt her head hurt.

Aella shoved all her thoughts back out of the way and focused on the real reason she came. After all, she wouldn't understand what he was talking in a million years anyways. "I see…" she said feigning understanding. "If you don't mind my asking, how are things going lately?"

"Well you know, they could always be better, I guess," Knight said shrugging his shoulders.

"I'm kinda surprised though," Aella said with raised eyebrow as she looked at him. "You seem like a faithful kind of guy. It's too bad…"

A long awkward moment of silence passed between the pair. Knight looked over at her expecting her to say more but she didn't. "Surprised about what?" Knight finally asked, a bit confused.

"I'm surprised that you're acting so calm given the circumstances," Aella said matching his gaze.

"What circumstances? Look, what are you saying?" Knight asked feeling jittery.

"You see, your girlfriend doesn't share the same faithfulness to you as you do to her," Aella said not revealing exactly what she knew.

"Huh?" Knight was still confused. "Are you saying that she's being unfaithful to me?"

"I'm saying…" Aella heaved a sigh. "…I'm saying that you should check out the warehouse that's in that direction…" Aella pointed in the direction of the warehouse.

"Why?" Knight asked still confused. "Now?"

"Yeah. Go now. There's something there that you need to see…"

Knight still wasn't sure what she was talking about, but his curiosity compelled him to follow her instructions. Again, he felt that little voice in his head whisper, _You're not gonna like what you'll see. _Knight swallowed hard and slowly made his way to the warehouse anxious as to what he would find there.

WK WK WK WK

Knight was waiting in the usual meeting place for dinner. The color in his face looked as though it had all been drained out. He looked pale and sick. His eyes were red and slightly puffy. He stood motionless with arms crossed and stared off in the direction of the warehouse where _they_ would be coming from. His lip curled upward and his eyes narrowed when he saw Maranda and Ichon coming down the road talking, chatting, and laughing together. _They_ were late; but, this time, Knight knew why.

When the pair got close, Maranda was the first to notice Knight's change in composure. "Hey. What's wrong? And what's with the sword?"

Knight scoffed. She had the nerve to ask what's wrong! "Really? You don't know?"

"Ohh… Sorry we're late again. I had to work a little over my usual time," Maranda said while also talking with her hands. She always seemed to flail her arms every time she spoke.

Ichon again smirked; but, this time Knight didn't pass it off. He understood why. And the more he thought about it the sicker and more angered he became. He clenched his hands as his eyes shot from Ichon back to Maranda. How could she do this to him? And with this dope?

"I bet…" Knight retorted darkly.

"Are you…"

"Where were you?" Knight interrupted her question.

"What!"

"Just now! Where were you?" Knight asked firmly. "And what's the _real_ reason you're late?"

Suddenly, Maranda figured out what he was asking. Her mouth dropped open slightly and she lost the color out of her face. Her once cheerful mood had completely changed to a mood of dread.

"I… I can explain!" Maranda said quickly.

"I don't believe it," Knight said slowly in shock backing away from them. His breathing came more labored as he felt his emotions slowly take control of his body. "I… I trusted you. I… I… I gave you my heart. And this is how you repay me?" Knight felt himself start to shake. "I didn't want to believe it. I thought she was lying. But now, I see… It all makes sense now. The reasons why you've always been late. Why you guys have been walking together. Why _he _began to show up so much earlier for dinner than the usual time. It all makes sense! But still…" Knight put his hand over his face, his eyes still wide with shock. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed and as he spoke he slowly looked up at the pair. "I don't believe it! I… I loved you… But, you… you…!" he couldn't even get his words out. He closed his eyes feeling his body quiver. He was so angry that his body actually shook as if he were freezing in the snow! He clenched his hands again as they dropped to his sides. His left hand brushed against his sword and he remembered why he had brought it with him in the first place. He placed his right hand on the handle small sparks leaping across his hand. He looked over at Maranda with eyes of focus, with eyes… colored violet.

"Wha—wha… wait!" Maranda exclaimed. "I'm… really sorry. I… regret it, I really do!"

Knight shook his head. "Ohh no…! Not yet you do," Knight spoke in a deep, dark unnatural tone. His hand shifted on his sword as he slowly unsheathed it and brought it in front of him. "But you will!" He brought his left hand up to meet his right hand on the handle. He then angled the blade and lowered into a fighting stance. He clenched his teeth and gripped the handle so fiercely that his knuckles turned white. He inhaled sharply feeling his emotions reach their peak. He then went into action. He stepped with his left foot and brought his sword behind. With all of his might and with an angered, hurt cry, Knight swung his blade horizontally at neck level, intent on not letting anything stop him.

"Knight! KNIGHT! AHHHH!"

At the sound of his name, Knight froze instantly. His blade was mere inches away from decapitation, but he stopped. He recognized the small voice that had called out his name and screamed. His mouth dropped open as his head slowly looked towards the voice. It couldn't be her. Standing off to his right a few paces away was a young girl with wide eyes and a scared and confused look on her face.

_Jessica…!_ Knight thought aghast. It was her! His eyes went wide when he saw her. His gaze met hers. He felt his heart shatter. Jessica was on the verge of tears. She looked at him questioningly as if to say, "What's going on? And what are you doing?" He couldn't go through with this. She was already traumatized enough. And if he would have gone through with this, then she would have been scarred for the rest of her life; and he'd have to live with the fact that it was his fault.

Knight, still breathing heavily, felt himself slowly relaxing out of his killing position. With both hands still on his sword and his eyes fixated on Jessica, Knight eased his sword back behind his body in a low position and then released his left hand. Knight looked down at the ground in front of him and closed his eyes. He slowed his breathing trying to calm himself, but it wasn't working. He had to get out of here. Knight glanced over at Maranda and shot her a message with his blue eyes that said, "You're lucky Jessica was here to stop me. Consider us finished."

Briefly glancing at Jessica, he turned his back on them, all of them: Maranda, Ichon, and Jessica. He felt his shoulders slump and his body curl underneath the weight of his burden. As he slowly shuffled away, he sheathed his sword knowing that his life here in Xian was over. He stopped for a moment and briefly looked at Jessica once again for perhaps the last time. She was crying now not understanding what was going on. Seeing her crying brought up tears to his own eyes. He couldn't bear it anymore. He averted his eyes and ran off as the tears flowed freely from his eyes.

WK WK WK WK

With the sun long since set, a tolerable darkness had engulfed the sleeping town of Xian. The gentle chirping of the numerous crickets and other bugs filled the night air. Small nocturnal critters scurried about scrounging for food and such. A gentle breeze blew through town further adding to the chill that was already felt in the air. But nobody felt the chill in the air because they were all underneath the warm confines of their covers, save for one person.

The windows of the house Knight was in were covered by so as to avoid shedding light out from the few candles that had been lit inside. Knight walked back and forth, picked up various items, examined them, and then either put them in a box or on his bed. After a few hours of doing this, most all of the things he'd acquired were either in boxes or lying on the bed, though there were considerably fewer things on the bed than in the boxes. Knight dropped one last item into one of the two boxes he'd laid out for his stuff. He sighed and plopped down on the corner of his bed. His gaze shifted from the boxes to the secret holes in the floor where he planned to store his stuff.

"What's the point?" he asked himself. "I'm never gonna come back here to get any of this stuff anyways." Knight looked over at the items he'd spread out on the bed. He had a few medicinal items as well as a few provisions to sustain his body for at least a few days. The map he'd acquired was rolled out and kept open by his katana blade. He'd already decided to head north to the village called Kolima. He figured that he had enough food to make the few days journey without worry of starvation. And with the training he'd received from Feh and with his sword, he felt himself adequately ready for any threats he might encounter from the wildlife.

Knight stretched out his arms and back feeling the stiffness fade from his body. He stretched out his legs and ankles hearing the familiar pop that his joints made. He stood up and turned to finishing packing the stuff on the bed. As Knight grabbed a ration of food and stuffed it into his bag, he felt his neck hairs stand up on end.

"I don't have time for you. Sorry," Knight replied looking behind him, but it wasn't who he thought it was. "Feizhi?"

"I… I heard about what happened," Feizhi said sheepishly gently shutting the door. "So you're leaving?" she asked seeing him placing things into a travel bag.

"Yea…" Knight nodded somberly and continued to pack his things. "I… never really belonged here in the first place."

"Sure you belong!" Feizhi protested. "You're…"

"I'm an outsider!" Knight raised his voice. He sighed. "Sorry… I'm… a lot happened today."

"Yeah… from what I heard, you drew your sword… in broad daylight… and against Maranda!"

Knight stopped packing and smirked. _Word sure gets around fast!_ "Yeah… but I had good reason to. Feizhi," he started as he looked down at his bed. "She… she cheated on me! With Ichon! And I saw it with my own eyes!"

Feizhi gasped. Obviously, she hadn't heard or been told that part.

"When I confronted her and Ichon, she tried to lie to me about where she was. I… lost control of my emotions. I drew my sword. I was gonna make her pay. And I didn't care about the consequences. But what makes it worse is not that I was gonna kill her, it's that Jessica… she was there when I drew my sword and almost killed Maranda…"

"I had no idea!" Feizhi whispered. Her eyes danced wildly across the floor trying to take in what he was saying. Then she looked up at Knight who looked back at her over his left shoulder a tear streaking down his cheek.

"I loved her… I honestly thought that I had found a purpose and a new life here. But I see now that that was all an illusion. Just Fate's way of teasing me with something that I can never have."

"But you will have that someday! I've… I've seen it…" Feizhi trailed off as if revealing the ending of a book to someone who wasn't finished reading it yet.

"Well I don't," Knight replied coldly.

"Is leaving town really your answer? Are you really just gonna run away from your problems?"

"Run away?" Knight repeated turning to the girl. "You think I'm running away from my problems? Look, if I stay here, then I'm sure that next time I won't hold back! I'm only leaving for Jessica's sake. She…" Knight felt himself tremble as he remembered the innocent way that Jessica had looked at him earlier. "She had wanted to marry me… me who almost killed someone right in front of her!" He turned his back on Feizhi and paused for a moment. "I'm leaving. And that's that."

From the tone of his voice, Feizhi knew that there was no convincing him otherwise. He had made up his mind. He probably already thought about it. And this was his decision, for Jessica's sake. She had seen how he and Jessica interacted. She had seen the excitement the little girl had when she talked about marrying him someday. She knew of the special bond that he and Jessica shared. Even now, she saw how deeply he cared for the little girl. It moved her soul. And it touched her heart. Feizhi took a few steps forward and reached for Knight's left hand shoving something in it.

Knight was caught off guard for a moment but then felt something in his hand. He pulled his hand back and opened up his hand to reveal a good luck charm. He was about to comment about it when he felt Feizhi lean up and gently kiss his cheek.

"I know that no matter what I'll say, you'll still leave. And I don't blame you. But still, don't ever let this stop you from achieving greatness. Don't ever stop being who you are. And don't ever let anyone change you into something that you're not. You have a good heart and it hurts me to see you like this. If there's anything – **ever** – that you need, I'll be here for you."

Knight felt his body stiffen and his eyes widen. He felt such overpowering emotions that it paralyzed him. He couldn't move a muscle, not even a finger. Her words cut deep; no, her words sank deep. Even throughout this entire ordeal, there was a tiny ray of hope sparkling in the darkness of his world in the form of this young girl. She still believed in him despite his own lack of confidence he had in himself. His world, his heart, had just shattered into pieces so numerous that it would take years to put back together; and even if somehow all the pieces were put back together, it would never be the same. Still, despite the hopelessness of the situation, Feizhi was here… trying. She believed in him. She made him begin to hope that someday, he too would have that kind of belief in himself. The kind of belief that he could be something more, that he could be great.

Knight breathed in deeply and exhaled both the air trapped in his lungs and the paralysis that had gripped his body. Her words helped him, a lot. However, he still needed time. Time to think and time to recover. And during that time, he needed something to be done. Knight looked at the girl with eyes near the brink of tears and… smiled. It was the first time he'd genuinely smiled in a long time.

"Thanks," Knight choked out. He wiped away the tears from his eyes with his arm. After another calming breath, he spoke quietly, "While I'm gone, please look after Jessica for me."

Feizhi smiled and replied, "Of course." She extended her arms in gesture for a hug. Knight didn't hesitate. He wrapped his arms around Feizhi as she did around him. The moment they embraced, Feizhi suddenly felt the incredible burden that he bore, not just from today or from his relationship with Maranda, but from other things that had happened in his past. It was almost suffocating! It was a wonder to her how he could even move! It was hard to explain, but it was more than just a feeling or something she could sense. She literally felt heavy as if she was carrying a tremendous amount of weight on her back. She almost felt like she would crumple beneath the weight.

_What is this? _she thought in wonder. _Has he been carrying this weight all this time?_ She felt his grip on her squeeze tighter but never to the point of hurting her. _To bear such a burden all by yourself… Knight, _Feizhi squeezed back feeling tears rush from her eyes, _I pray that someday, you'll no longer have to bear such a heavy burden alone. No one as good as you should have to go through what you went through._

"Goodbye," Knight whispered into her ears. He released the hug and after a few more moments, he was gone with that tiny ray of hope lighting his pathway from behind.


	10. Chapter 8: The Cause of Failure

**~ Chapter 8: The Cause of Failure ~**

Light slowly began to trickle into the woods north of Xian as Sol slowly rose over the horizon. Streams of light filtered through the forest, dispelling shadows and bringing back life into the forest. The morning air smelled crisp that sent the senses at ease. Though not as dense a forest as Mogall Woods to the east or Kolima Forest to the greater north, these woods offered just enough shade without completely blocking out the light from Sol.

But neither the crisp air nor the gentle warming light seemed to faze the lone traveler. He merely walked at the same pace he'd been walking for the past couple of hours. The hood of his robe was pulled up and his hands were concealed beneath the long sleeves of the black garment. His hands were shoved deep into the pockets of his pants. Beneath the hood was the face of a man devoid of life and purpose. His slumped posture matched the downtrodden look of his facial features. His eyes gazed blankly at the ground immediately in front of his feet, his thoughts miles away from where he was.

_I just don't understand…_ he thought to himself. _What went wrong?_ He tried to recall possible reasons why things had turned out the way they did. As he thought back, different clues became more obvious that his relationship was failing. The way she talked down to him sometimes, the more time they spent with Ichon, her lack of interest in what he was studying – these were just a few clues that should have caused him to think that something was wrong.

_Hindsight…_ he sighed. _If only I could have it before everything happened…_ He kicked at a pine cone at his feet and watched the dust cloud up around him. _If I would have known that all this was gonna happen, then… What was I thinking? _He clenched his hands as his facial features changed from sorrow to anger. _How dare she! She accused me of cheating when I hadn't done anything!_ He felt his breathing increase as his pace quickened. _And with __**him**__ of all people!_ He shook his head making the hood fall back revealing his Sol tanned blond hair. _I swear that if I ever see her and him again… mmmm… it's… _

A twig snapped off to his right. Instantly, his eyes looked over. Emerging from around a tree was an individual dressed in ragged dark colored clothing. Another twig snapped to that person's left and another person emerged from the shadows. Then another person appeared behind the boy and another to that person's left and to that person's left. Pretty soon, eight people had surrounded the lone traveler.

"What is this…?" he asked narrowing his eyes at them. Each of the men held some sort of weapon and all were eyeing him evily. "Who are you guys and what do 'ya want?" There was only one thing that became instantly clear: these people were thieves. And they were here for him. _Boy, are you guys gonna be disappointed. I ain't got nothing..._ he thought with a smirk on his face.

"To think, that we'd find _you_ wandering through _our_ woods. Knight Yarvon!"

"That voice!" Knight whispered with widened eyes. That voice was so familiar, yet he couldn't place where he'd heard it before. He turned behind him to see a man with black hair dressed in dirtied robes of worn by members of the Feh dojo. "Valleroy!"

The man merely smirked and bowed slightly. "The one and only."

Knight clenched his teeth. "What do you want from me? I don't have any money so…"

"Ohh… I know…" Valleroy interrupted. He lifted his head up high and looked down on Knight with malevolence. "I'm here for other reasons."

Knight briefly looked around at the others. They looked as intimidating as when they'd first arrived. He waited for someone to make a move on him, but no one did. Knight looked back up at Valleroy and asked the obvious question, "What reasons?" Then a word whispered across his mind as to Valleroy's reason for being here. _Revenge…_ _revenge…_

"Hmph." Valleroy scoffed. "Really? Like you don't know?" he asked as he started to walk down and around to one of the other guys. "He doesn't know!" he told him forcing a laugh. Valleroy then suddenly raised his voice. "Have you forgotten already? The dojo! You humiliated me in front of everybody! And now, thanks to you, I've been exiled from town and branded an outlaw! But you…" Valleroy pointed his finger accusingly at Knight. "All you got was a slap on the wrist and a month's probation! How is that fair? Where's the justice in that?"

Valleroy was now behind and off to Knight's left and was still in motion. Knight kept a close eye on him watching for any indication of an attack. His heart beat faster and the sweat began to bead up on his forehead. "It's not my fault. You chose to disobey the rules and…"

"No! Don't even try to push that on me! You broke the rules too!"

"Only because you were gonna kill him!" Knight countered. Valleroy was now off to his left and slightly forward.

"He tried to get with my sister!" Valleroy yelled back.

"Your sister is old enough to make her own decisions with who she wants to be with. She is technically an adult whether you like it or not. But you…" Knight sighed trying to calm himself to no avail. He felt his emotions start to flair up. Talking with him made Knight feel… irritated. "You made a fool out of yourself. You acted without thinking. What would your sister think of you now? You thought that resorting to violence was the best option? I thought Master Feh had taught you better. Thought he taught you something: restraint."

"Phft… Feh…" Valleroy shook his head. He now stood in front of Knight with his back turned to him. "What a fool! He threw away his top student, and for what? Justice?" He eyed Knight angrily. Valleroy then lifted his head up signaling Knight to look in the same direction. "Look around you… every single person here was once a member of Feh's dojo. And like me, we were all thrown out because of his petty sense of justice and narrow-minded ideals. We've been branded outlaws and forced to scurry about these woods like cockroaches! It's his fault that we're here! And we won't stand for that! And we're gonna make him pay! I'm… gonna make you pay…"

"Look. I'm in no mood for this. Just get out of my way," Knight said exasperated, bowing his head low feeling the hood of his robe catch some of his hair

Valleroy smirked. He then walked over to the tree he'd come around and reached for something. The familiar chink of shifting metal in a scabbard could be heard. In his hand was a katana blade. As he turned around, Valleroy lifted up the blade and held it horizontally for Knight to see. He sneered, "Well you better get in the mood, pal! Or else, you're gonna end up dead!" Valleroy slide the sword onto his hip and lowered into a sword-drawing stance.

"I'd rather not fight you. Part of me doesn't like fighting. And on most days, that part of me is stronger. But…" Knight slowly lifted his head so that his eyes could meet the eyes of his enemy. When their eyes met, Valleroy's whole body shook with fear. Valleroy's eyes were met with the violent gaze of a demon, a demon with bloodthirsty violet colored eyes. "…you picked the wrong day to mess with me." Knight dropped his bag and shirked off his cloak. He then reached back behind him with his right hand and slowly started to pull upwards.

Valleroy did a double take not sure what the blond was doing. But then he saw the scabbard of a blade peek out from behind Knight's left leg as he drew out his sword. He watched as Knight drew out his sword with a reverse right hand grip and held it out diagonally in front of him for a few seconds. While most blades shimmer a steel gray color, this blade was colored a stunning, glossy black. Valleroy's eyes went wide just for a brief instant. _Could that be…?_

Knight swung his blade across his body, along his left, and re-gripped the sword in the proper way with the proper stance. Knight narrowed his eyes at Valleroy and spoke in a dark, almost unnatural tone, "I'm gonna enjoy hearing you scream!"

"Wait a minute! Could that…?" Valleroy paused with mouth wide open and eyes fixated on the black sword. "I always wondered if you had a sword. Now I know. But never would I have thought that you would have _that_ blade."

"What are you talking about?" Knight asked angrily.

"Huh? You mean you don't know?" Valleroy tensed even more than before. Sweat began to pour from his body more and more. "Surely you must have felt it. The presence sealed in that blade. The overwhelming power it gives to you. The insatiable desire you have to kill. Even now, you're being taken over by it. The cursed sword, Kurotenma!"

_Cursed sword? Whatever! He is so full of crap! _Knight narrowed his eyes, feeling his powers surge as his grip on the blade grew tighter. "Shut up…" he spoke unnaturally deep. "You talk too much, you know that? Enough talk! Either get out of my way or I'll make you!"

Valleroy sneered. "Hmph! You will try…"

The area stilled and an unnatural silence filled the woods. All eyes were on the blond traveler waiting for someone to make the first move. Suddenly, a twig snapped from Knight's rear right position as of one of the men cried out for the first attack.

Knight took a step with his left foot and turned around raising his blade up in a defensive stance. But when his eyes caught up with his body, he realized that the man had barely moved and was not running to attack him. A sharp whistle sounded from behind ending in a stinging pain in Knight's right shoulder. Instantly, Knight stumbled forward to one knee and reached for his shoulder with his left hand. His fingers ran to the spot where he felt the sharp pain and slid around something small. Knight pulled out the small annoyance and looked at what it was. It was some kind of needle; however, the end of it was broken and oddly shaped. Suddenly, Knight began to feel woozy and light-headed.

"What the…?" Knight strained feeling his connections with his environment being broken. _What did he do to me? I feel dizzy. But… it's more than that. I… can't sense my powers anymore… Just what did he do to me?_

"I hope you enjoy the last moments of your life," Valleroy taunted. "Though the needle you were shot with contained some poison, the amount isn't fatal. It's just enough to throw your balance off. However, should you get shot with a few more doses of that poison, then…" Valleroy lifted his hand up and every member followed by lifting up a hand with three poison needles.

Knight looked up and around through vision blurred. He slowly staggered to his feet. He wobbled uncontrollably feeling his body losing control. He gripped his sword with two hands but still couldn't keep it still. It was hard to maintain balance thanks to whatever that poison was. _Dang… if this isn't fatal then I can't imagine if I got hit with just one more of those…_

"You… coward!" Knight yelled as he staggered to look in Valleroy's direction. He felt his head spinning out of control as if he had spun around twenty or thirty times. "You have to resort to such dirty tricks? You too afraid to fight me? Huh? Afraid you might lose?"

Valleroy's head twitched in irritation. "You think that I'm afraid of you?" He lowered his hand. The men lowered their needles. Valleroy then unsheathed his sword and slowly began to pace back and forth. "I don't need anyone else to defeat you! You hear me! No one else interfere!" Valleroy then turned his attention towards the staggered form of his former underling. "I was just gonna let you die a slow agonizing death by poisoning; but I changed my mind. I'm gonna kill you myself right here, right now!"

Valleroy charged, his sword trailing on the ground behind him. Then he lifted his blade up and struck with a downward thrust. Knight barely had time to bring up his own sword to counter the attack. The swords clashed with a shower of sparks. Knight felt himself slowly bending beneath the brute strength of Valleroy's attack. Knight deflected the blade down to his left but was caught in the face with an elbow. Knight toppled to the ground and rolled a few feet.

"Come on! What's the matter? You were much better when we first fought!" Valleroy taunted. "You're not as fast either."

"You…!" Knight said angrily.

"You're weak! Admit it!" Valleroy started to step closer.

Knight slowly got to a kneeling position and looked back. He then swung his blade back. Valleroy easily blocked the attack. He then swung his blade downward with almost inhuman strength. Knight blocked the attack but strained underneath the pressure. Valleroy attacked again with a downward swing with much more power. Knight blocked but nearly lost grip of his sword. Knight's arm gave way for a second allowing his blade to fall below a good defensive position. Valleroy took his opportunity and side kicked Knight in the face with his left foot. Knight went sprawling out on the ground once again face first and lost grip of his sword. He spit out the grass and dirt and frantically searched blindly for it with his right hand. His fingers found it and wrapped around the handle once more.

"It's not over…" Knight spoke hoarsely. He struggled back to his feet, his knees shaking feebly.

"Ha! Don't make me laugh! It was over the moment I became your opponent!" Valleroy retaliated smugly using the boy's own line from the dojo duel against him. "You're too weak to beat me. You were too weak to keep your relationship alive! That's why you were dumped! Because of your weakness!"

"Shut up! You don't know anything!" Knight screamed and he turned and slashed laterally.

Valleroy brought his sword up, handle first, and easily parried the attack. At the same time, he stepped forward with his left foot and impaled Knight in the stomach with his left elbow. As a result, Knight lost grip of his sword which went flying outward and fell backwards tumbling until he came to rest on his stomach. He curled up in pain and gasped from breath. Knight tried to get back up but couldn't. All he managed to do was to get up on his hands and knees before Valleroy. But without breath and without a weapon, Knight couldn't do anything to stop him.

"And now, I'm gonna to prove to you how weak you really are." Valleroy hovered his sword along Knight's face. "Any last words, weakling?"

_No… it can't. Is this really how it ends? Is this all that my life had led up to? Is it… because I'm weak like he says? Is that why my life has fallen apart? Is that why I've… failed…? _Knight continued to convulse for air making speech impossible. The fighting spirit he had a moment ago slowly left his eyes which shifted back to his normal blue color. _So be it. This is the end for me. I've done nothing right my whole life. And I've been forsaken by the people I've loved. I guess, this is it._ All he could do was close his eyes and wait for the inevitable.

"Nothing? Very well." Valleroy lifted up his sword. "Goodbye, weakling!"

Knight tensed as Valleroy's blade came swinging down with a rush of wind that seemed to rustle the tree leaves. The last moments of his life went agonizingly slow. Knight continued to gasp for air for another second… then another… then another. He soon was able to breathe better.

_Have I died and gone to heaven?_ Knight paused, wondering if he'd already passed on without even knowing it. _Wait a minute! In heaven I'm supposed to feel like a million bucks! So why do I feel like a turkey with the stuffin' beat out of it? _Knight slowly opened his eyes suspiciously. He looked and saw the dirt and grass between his hands. He then lifted his head and looked farther up and saw someone's boots. Knight followed the boots up to the face. It was Valleroy! And he looked frozen stiff with his blade in mid swing!

"Im… possible…" whispered Valleroy. "To think… I'd be… defeated… by a girl…" The dark-haired boy lost his grip on his sword and tumbled backwards. He landed on the ground with a thud already unconscious before he hit earth. Clouds of dust and small pieces of grass rose around his body and settled back down quickly.

Knight had shielded his eyes when his opponent went down. The sword that was once raised for the killing stroke was now impaled in the ground in front of him. Knight stared wide-eyed at the unconscious body of Valleroy. _What the…?_ He wondered in amazement.

Knowing that he did nothing, Knight looked behind him to see who had done this. His eyes fell upon the other members off to his rear left who also seemed frozen. But they too began to collapse just like Valleroy had done. _What's going on?_ Knight turned around still kneeling and saw the other members crumple in like manner. He slowly stood to his feet but held his stomach with his right hand. He glanced around one more time trying to make sense of what just happened. But all he could do was just shake his head in bewilderment. _I don't like this at one bit. _He thought to himself. _I'd better get out of here before…_ He turned around to gather his stuff to leave when he suddenly froze. His eyes went wide and his mouth dropped.

"Hmm… I'm surprise he could tell that much," a violet haired girl whispered with her back turned to him. She then turned her head back slightly to look down on the blond. "Thought that you could use a hand." Her golden sunset eyes met Knight's azure colored eyes.

Knight instantly knew who it was. "It's you! Aella!" Knight gasped. "But that means…" he looked around briefly with his eyes and then refocused his eyes on her. His body tensed at the realization of his next few words. "…you did this? But… how?"

She nodded her head and turned to face him. "There's a secret technique of the Jupiter clan. It allows you to move at speeds so fast that the eyes can't keep up. It's called Quick Step. What you see around you is the result." Aella bowed her head bashfully then looked back up with a smile. "See, I can't have you dying just yet." Her smile was interestingly subliminal. In fact, the whole way that she carried her body was suggestive. She placed a hand on her hip, bit her lip slightly, and gazed at him seductively.

"Hmm… interesting. Well, thanks for saving me, I guess…" Knight winced in pain, ignoring her obvious advances. He merely walked over to his bag and picked it up again by its strings.

"What do you mean 'I guess'? Aren't you glad I saved your life?" Aella asked relaxing out of her seductive pose. _What is wrong with this kid? Is he that blind to my advances?_

Knight shrugged his shoulders. "Eh. What's the point? I'll just screw up again anyways…" he said. He started to flip his bag over his shoulders but was suddenly thrown backwards into a tree trunk at least ten feet behind him. He gasped for breathe as the air rushed from his lungs. Grasping onto his kimono shirt was Aella. For a moment, Knight couldn't register what just happened. Then he realized that she must have used that technique on him. Even as he gasped for air, for a moment, he couldn't help but marvel at the speed at which she moved.

"What is wrong with you? Just because you broke up with your girlfriend you're willing to throw your life away? For what? Because you screwed up?" Aella yelled.

"Shatup!" Knight yelled back still out of breath. "You don't know what it's like! To have your heart broken! To lose someone you once loved!"

Aella suddenly jerked. Her mind flashed back to memories of her father. Memories of when he was still alive. And memories of when he had been taken from her. In a way, she knew what it was like to have a broken heart, to lose someone she loved. It was the last time she'd loved before that love was replaced by the urge to seek vengeance.

"But…" Aella spoke more softly as her grip began to loosen. "Don't you have family that would be sad if you died?"

Knight looked away not saying a word. He merely shook his head a little.

"How about friends? Surely there must be someone who would miss you if you died?"

Knight continued to stare off into the dirt. A name flashed across his mind. A name he hadn't thought about in a long time. "There was… one person that I left behind."

"See? I'm sure they would be very sad…" Aella said lifting her grip of Knight's shirt.

"But I can never return to her," he interrupted.

"Huh? Why not?" asked an intrigued Aella.

"I… forget it… I don't feel like talking about it. Just leave me alone." Knight walked past the girl and grabbed his bag and walked over to where his sword was. He bent down to pick it up but was stopped when it jostled by someone's foot on it. Knight looked at the foot and followed it up to the face of Aella. Their eyes met. Her eyes were stubborn and hardened. His eyes were weak and feeble.

Aella gazed at him with her toughened eyes, trying to make him talk without resorting to physical violence. She stared him down using her warrior's spirit, a talent that has worked on countless other people before. However, the longer she gazed into his discouraged eyes, the more she felt her own emotions begin to stir inside her. His whole facial expression was down-trodden and he made no attempt to forcibly remove her foot from off of his sword. He lacked the fighting spirit he once had and was contented just to wait for her to move without saying a word. But there was something else in his eyes, something that stirred up Aella's female instincts. She saw in his eyes the look of a man who had lost the one quality it took to live… hope. She felt compelled by his eyes to move. Slowly, she lifted her foot off of his sword and stepped back.

Knight picked his blade up, stood up, and slowly sheathed it back behind his back. He then turned to pick up his coat. After putting it back on, concealing his sword once again, Knight turned around to face Aella as if to say one last thing. However, he just started walking and walked right past her without so much as a glance. He was about a step or two past her when she stopped him.

"What… happened to you?" she asked quietly with head turned slightly. "What happened to your fighting spirit?"

Knight stopped walking and just stood there contemplating an answer. He closed his eyes, dropped his head, and sighed. He opened his eyes and looked forward.

"I found out the truth." Knight's eyes drooped as he answered. "Listen, you're a sweet young girl with a good heart and some amazing skills. And someone like you deserves someone better than me. It's best if you just move on and forget about me. It was nice to meet you. And I wish the best for you."

Aella felt her whole body freeze up as her eyes widened in shock. Her breath came in shorter and shorter intervals and her mouth dropped open. _Did he just…_ Aella's mind started working overtime trying to wrap around the power behind the words he had just spoken. _Did he really just say that I was a sweet girl? But I'm… I don't understand…_ For some reason, she couldn't move. His words had somehow paralyzed her causing all of her muscles to stop working. _No one has ever…_ Her body began to shake and her skin rippled with goosebumps. _What's wrong with me? Why… why do I feel such… emotion? Did he really mean all that stuff he said? But it can't be true! I'm not a sweet girl. I'm… dirty._ Her thought caused her to pause, and for the first time in a long time she felt… embarrassed. She didn't know why either. What she had done never really bothered her until now. There was something different about this target than any of the rest. He made her feel… human. In his eyes, she was not a weapon like her master's view of her. Nor was she some sexual fantasy object as she had been with previous targets. He saw her for who she was. And she… kinda liked that feeling.

Her mouth slowly closed into a smile, a real genuine smile. She turned around to say something to him only to see that Knight had already left. His silhouette was already paces away from her. _He's… he's been through so much._ She thought as she remembered looking deep into his eyes in attempts to intimidate him. _His eyes… I could see so much pain in them…_ Aella sighed._ He reminds me of…_

Aella shook her head. _What am I saying?_ _All these feelings… I just have to ignore them. I… I still have a mission to complete…_ She looked back at him and cried out, "Hey! Wait up!" Knight turned his head slightly, not enough to see behind him, but still continued walking. Aella ran to catch up with him and matched her pace with his. Knight merely glanced over at her with the expression of "why are you still tagging along with me?"

"Look," Aella began. "I know that you've been through a lot lately and probably don't want me around. And I can't possibly know what you're going through, but listen, I…" Aella hesitated and swallowed hard and spoke more softly than she had ever done, "I… know what it's like to lose someone you love." The pace set by Knight slowed, but he continued walking as Aella continued her spiel. "My… my father was a skilled ninja, one of the best. I looked up to him. And I wanted to be just like him." Her eyes sparkled just for an instant before her countenance fell as she continued, "But, about a year ago, he… he was killed while carrying out a simple mission. No, he was murdered while on this mission! When he died, I felt a part of myself die as well. I made a vow that I would find my father's killer and avenge his death. And ever since my vow, I've worked hard to overcome my weaknesses and become the best that's ever been."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Knight asked exasperated stopping in his tracks. He rolled his head to one shoulder and eyed her lazily.

"You believe that it's because of your weakness why you were cheated on?"

Knight felt his eyes widen, head straighten, and ears perk up.

"Do you think that that had anything to do with how you treated her?" Aella argued as she pointed at him and then back at the town. "I saw, if just briefly, how much you loved her. And you treated her with respect. And even though I tried coming on to you, unlike most men, you resisted and stayed faithful to her…" Aella paused realizing that she just admitted to trying to seduce him. She took a deep breath and let it out. There was no turning back now. "Listen, you're worth more than you give yourself credit for. And you know how to treat a lady, very well I might add. I've experienced that, first hand, from you."

Knight huffed and smirked at her.

"It doesn't matter what she thinks of you. You are a great guy. And if you think that you've failed because of your weakness, then do something about it."

"Like what?" Knight asked with mild interest.

"I want you to come with me… to train. To overcome your weaknesses. To become stronger. To surpass your limits. To show other people that you are not weak like they say you are. You must take what makes you weak and turn it into something that makes you strong. If you're strong, you live; if you're weak, you die. I think it's time that you make that choice. So… what's it gonna be?" Aella's eyes met his. She gently smiled as she saw a faint flicker of life start to kindle in his downcast eyes.

"You can do that for me? Make me stronger, I mean?" Knight inquired with more enthusiasm.

Aella smiled. "I can. And I will. Come on. We need to head west towards Altin and Lama Temple. And if you're up for it, I'll give you your first lesson. I'll teach you Quick Step."


	11. Chapter 9: The Blade and the Betrayer

~ Chapter 9: The Blade and the Betrayer~

The clash of metal on metal echoed across the plains of the Silk Road, the road leading from Xian to Altin and Lama Temple. Knight landed back on the ground, skidding in the dirt a few feet trying to maintain balance. He kept his eyes on his opponent, carefully watching her every move.

Aella skidded in the dirt too but dug her twin short blades in the dirt stopping her faster than her opponent. She glowed for a brief second, sending power to her short swords, and then slashed both blades consecutively. Two violet crescents arched towards Knight at incredible speeds.

Unable to dodge, Knight slashed at both Wind Slash attacks cutting them into twos. One pair of the split attacks whizzed completely past him, but he wasn't so lucky with the other. The other split attack managed to slice through his upper arm. Though it was only a superficial cut and the pain not severely intense, the attack caught him off guard, severing his mental concentration. In his distracted state, Knight took his eyes off his opponent just for a second. With no time to react, Knight acted on pure instinct and raised his sword. He was rewarded when his blade clashed twice against Aella's blades.

Seeing the open opportunity, Aella leapt up over her opponent, landed on his back, and kicked out. This sent Knight careening face-first into the dirt. Knight groaned as the pain of the hard coarse dirt dug into his face. He flipped himself around and up to his hands and knees. He looked up to see Aella bringing her sword down upon him.

_No way! Is she really gonna…?!_ Knight brought his sword up just in time to block the attack. Aella's sword was mere inches away from his face. Relief didn't come to Knight as Aella swung her other blade in a horizontal attack. Knight pushed Aella's first attack up and away just enough to be able to duck his head low enough to avoid losing his head. Even though he didn't lose his head, Knight did lose a few hairs with how close the sword came to him. Knight wrapped his leg around Aella's in an attempt to knock her off her feet. She, however, avoided being tripped by back flipping several times.

The distance between them closed quickly as Aella lashed out with another pair of wind slash attacks. Both were close enough where Knight was able to slash them apart. But just as his sword cut cleanly through them, he looked up to see that Aella had closed the distance between them with her Qucik Step technique.

"Disappointing… You've disappointing…" Knight heard her whisper. His grip on his sword grew tighter and a fire awakened inside him. _Disappointing?! I'll show you!_ Images flashed of people he used to know who made fun of him. _I'll show everybody!_ Aella's sword flashed for the kill but Knight met her attack with his sword. But her other blade was already in mid swing to finish the job. She kept her eyes on him as to assure her attack connected. Her blade suddenly made a clang sound of hitting another sword. Aella then realized the her 2nd blade had hit the back of her 1st blade. Knight had disappeared!

"What the…?!" Aella gasped in disbelief. She then felt a poke of something sharp on her back near her heart. "So fast…!"

Knight just scoffed. "You nearly got me. But where you're fast, I'm gonna be faster."

"You moved so fast that I didn't even see you move! There's only one other person who's ever been faster than me…" She sheathed her swords and then froze.

"What? Someone else knows this technique?" Knight gaped in disbelief as he sheathed his sword and wiped his face clean.

Aella, without turning around, looked ahead and replied, "Let's have lunch. I'm hungry." She quickly walked off to where their packs were left.

Knight eyed her credulously as he slowed his breathing from their training together. _I have a feeling that there's something more to this…_ he thought to himself. "You didn't answer my question. I thought that you came up with this technique…"

"There is, another… a very powerful Adept who taught me this technique." Aella shook her head recalling her encounter with the mysterious man. "Another Jupiter Adept," she stated simply.

"There's another Jupiter Adept besides us?!" Knight exclaimed hardly believing it. Out of all the clans of the ancient days, Jupiter adepts as of late have become especially rare, if not all but extinct. Jupiter clan adepts were well known for their abilities of foretelling and wisdom, not to mention their dominance on the battlefield with their powerful lightning and wind techniques. But as strong and as wise as they were, they were the first clan hunted nearly to extinction by the other clans. The Jupiter clan was seen as threat forcing warring factions of the Venus and Mars clans to join together to fight them. Techniques of the Jupiter clan, from survivors as well as from books, were all but extinct. To think that there was one who is powerful enough to have learned the Quick Step! Knight quivered with excitement at the thought of learning more skills just as strong if not more so.

"And where is this person now?"

Aella shrugged her shoulders. "No idea… I was out with my friends one day, but my got ambushed. We fought back as best we could but were no match for them. Everyone else was killed. And I nearly lost my life too. But _**he**_ came out of nowhere and saved me."

"Using the Quick Step technique?" Knight finished. _Kinda like how you did with me?_

"Yea… I begged him to teach that to me. But he refused at first saying I had no business learning such a dangerous skill. I didn't see the danger in it. He continued to resist. Said that people, bad people, would desire that skill in me and use me to further their personal goals then throw me aside. I told him I would never let that happen, and that I would never leave him alone unless I learned it. He eventually gave in. But I soon regretted it."

"Why?" Knight asked confused.

"Because… I…" Aella sighed a heavy sigh as if recalling countless painful memories. "He was right… Soon after I learned that technique, people did seek me out for my powers… And I've… done some things I'm not proud of…"

"Who taught you that technique?" Knight inquired, feeling himself getting excited at the thought of meeting this Adept someday and learning his Psynergy skills. But then the second half of her statement registered in his mind. "And what do you mean 'you've done things you're not proud of'?"

"I… it's a long story… but… Let's just say there are some things I would rather forget… Anyways," she diverted quickly as if trying to forget her past, "that man, the one who taught me Quick Step, before he disappeared, I asked him his name. All he was willing to tell me was that he was the father of the Jupiter dragon… Didn't know what that meant back then. Still don't… That's been years ago. I don't even know if he's still alive or not."

"Huh… weird… so is that was drives you? That day when you were attacked with your friends?" Knight hadn't seen this slightly more sensitive side of Aella. It was kinda refreshing seeing her like this and talking real with her. And he wanted to know as much about her as he could before she'd clam up about her past.

She shook her head. "No. Not quite. My father was a great ninja and one of the most skilled in his profession. He could infiltrate the most secure locations without making a sound and without raising an alarm." Her hands clenched as memories rushed back to her mind. "It's true that that event pushed me to become a ninja; but it's my father's murder that compelled me to become better than what I was. I wanted to be the best in the world so that one day, I could confront my father's killer and make him pay!"

"Your father was murdered?!" Knight exclaimed in shock. If he was as good as she claimed, then he was either caught off guard (not likely) or was taken down by an even more skilled person; maybe by that other Jupiter Adept.

"Yeah, about a year ago in a small city near the Karagol Sea."

Knight froze and instantly heard a voice echo the name of the city in his mind, "_Cyril."_ He shook it off not willing to believe it was his hometown. Besides, Cyril wasn't the only city near that sea. Even still, the coincidence could not be ignored.

"He was on a mission from my master to retrieve something from there. Something so valuable that it was gonna take an entire squad of ninjas to retrieve it. They made their move. But the citizens from there put up heavy resistance. We took extreme casualties. And from I've been told, my father…" she paused, feeling anger well up inside her, "he was killed: burned to death by the hands of one of their citizens! A citizen! Not even a militia member! There's no way an ordinary citizen could have killed my father with how good he was! He had to have been set up by somebody. And I've dedicated my life to finding his killer and making him suffer!"

He didn't know what to say. There were an awful lot of coincidences with her story and with his own from that night. It was an event that he tried to forget. But, in some way or another, his past always seemed to haunt him like a recurring nightmare. No matter how he thought about it, something whispered in his mind, _"She talking about Cyril."_

"What about you? What's your story?"

Knight felt uneasy about telling her everything from his past. He knew that he could never go back there anyways. He was wanted as an outlaw and who knows what they'd do to him if they found him. Besides, he had no friends there or anybody who really showed any interest in talking with him. There were really only two people who really talked to him. Tinaro and Daishi.

"I… um… was involved in an incident that left me… without a home…" he half-lied. Or more liked half-truthed. "My parents were both killed bout a year ago and I've pretty much been on my own ever since."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Aella empathized. "So… is that what drives you so hard? That why you push yourself so much?"

"I don't… know what you mean…"

"Well isn't that what drives you? Revenge for your parents death?"

"I guess…" he trailed off. "I don't know…There's just no point anymore. I lost all my leads before I arrived at Xian… I just don't know what to do anymore…"

"I just don't understand… I thought for sure you had a good reason for pushing yourself so hard. Seemed like you were fighting for something… or for someone. But you just seem so… lost… Isn't there anyone else? Anyone else you're fighting for? Anyone at all? Not even in Xian or your hometown?"

"Well…maybe" he said gloomily. "I just… can't go back… not until I find out the truth. Otherwise I'll be imprisoned for crimes I've never done and never see her…"

"_Her_?" Aella intoned slowly.

"Oh…ummm…" For the first time in a long time, Knight cracked a small smile briefly before going straight-faced.

"So there is one person isn't there?" Aella said with a hint of disappointment in her voice. Whoever this girl he was referring to was able to make him smile, if only for a split second. He obviously cared very much for her. She could see the struggle in his eyes. He had lost his way and lost all hope of ever seeing this one person from his home.

"Well maybe I could help you out. My master has a lot of contacts all over this land. We can find the truth you're looking for." Aella smiled then girded herself. "Come on. Enough of this talk. Let's get back to work. This is only the beginning of your training."

"I just have a bad feeling about all this…" Knight whispered to himself as he gathered his stuff and followed her off to their next destination.

WK WK WK WK

When at last they had arrived in Altin, Knight and Aella were exhausted. It had taken them a week to reach Altin from the northern woods of Xian. That was partly because the route they took but also because of the training Knight had… _endured_. Endured was a good way to describe the training, Knight had thought. It was brutal! Aella certainly was no softy when it came to his learning the Quick Step. Nor was did she go easy on him when they dueled together. She had pushed him near the edge of death on more than one occasion. But he managed to survive her grueling training, not only mastering the Quick Step but also gaining much needed battle experience against an opponent. Knight was feeling pretty good as they strolled through town; tired, but still pretty good.

The mountainous region surrounding Altin was a majestic sight to behold, especially during the time of day that Aella and Knight were in. The light from Sol had just descended below the mountain tops, painting the sky in a myriad of vibrant sunset orange, yellow, and blue colors. The only word that could describe the aerial canvas was…

"Breathtaking…" Knight muttered as his eyes danced around excitedly at the sunset sky.

"What was that?"

At the sound of Aella's voice and the un-man like object of his admiration, Knight shook his head breaking off his daze. "I, uh… the… the sky…" he stuttered, hoping that she wouldn't laugh at him for what he was admiring. "I was… just admiring the sky. It's been a while since I've seen the sun set over the mountains."

Aella's eyebrow rose as she felt a small smile form across her lips. "Really? You've seen the sun set over these mountains before?"

Knight nodded his head. "Yeah… Well no, not _these _mountains in particular... Just another set of mountains out west…" he said as his voice trailed off. For a brief moment, he thought about his hometown and the spectacle he used to behold as he sat on the roof of his old house. _That was a long time ago,_ he thought with a sigh as he pushed that memory back into the dark recesses of his mind, a place where other such memories were sealed away.

"I see…" Aella said softly as the pair continued walking. "Well, you deserve a break after all that I've put you through!" Aella chuckled and then looked over at the sunset over the mountains herself. Her light laughter gradually waned as she too was struck with the beauty of the painted sky. "And you're right…"

Knight looked over at her confused at why she paused briefly and what she was about to finish saying.

"…it is… breathtaking."

Knight smiled and bowed his head bashfully. As he looked back up at her while she still gazed at the sunset, he didn't see the ninja warrior who had trained him so vigorously the past few days. He didn't see her as the hardened fighter she tried to make herself out to be. It seemed as though she had softened towards him. She didn't seem as rough as before. He saw her in a different light. He saw her as a woman with not only her shapely curves but also the emotional component she tried to suppress and seal away. Knight smiled bigger and, unable to contain his attraction toward her, laughed a little.

At the sound of Knight's laughing, Aella turned to her apprentice and asked, "What's so funny?!" Though she tried to sound tough, her glowing face and placid smile betrayed her tone of voice.

"Ohh… nothing…" Knight, still smiling, thought of something different yet equally true to tell her, other than what he was really thinking. "It's just… I'm surprised that I'm still alive after all I've been through!"

Aella smiled back at his obvious flirtatious tone and moved her head to one side. "I'm not. You have a very strong spirit and an insatiable desire to learn. And you learned the Quick Step faster than I would have thought possible. Only 7 days! However, that may be because of the secret I've learned over the years when it comes to training." Aella paused.

"Ohh yeah? And what is that?" Knight asked interested.

"If one is pushed to the edge of death, they learn a lot faster."

"Hmph… suppose you're right…" Knight agreed with a laugh. "But thanks for teaching me that technique."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't be getting all soft on me. Like I told you before, this is only the beginning of your training," Aella smirked. "You won't be thanking me later. Trust me!" she said with a wink. "Anyways, we're here!"

Knight looked up to see that they were standing in front of the Altin village inn. He furrowed his brow in confusion. "I thought…" he began.

"Here…" Aella said flinging something behind her at Knight.

Knight caught the small pouch and instantly heard the clink of coins rattle in his grasp.

"What's this for?" he asked.

"Ohh.. Well, you know… People usually use that to buy stuff…" Aella turned her head slightly and smirked.

"Obviously," Knight retorted rolling his eyes. "But really… why…?"

"There should be enough there." Aella turned to her companion. "Go inside and get a room for the night."

"Huh?" Knight asked confused.

"You heard me. We're gonna stay here for the night. We'll need the rest. And besides, it's been quite a while since I've been able to take a good hot bath," Aella said casually sniffing herself and feeling her frizzy hair, which was in desperate need of a good washing.

Knight raised an eyebrow at her only for a second before Aella moved in with her hand pointed below his belt.

"And if you even think of peeping, I'll make sure that you regret it," she said threateningly, a kunai knife pointed at his lower quarters.

"All right all right! I won't!" Knight said with raised arms signaling defeat. "Just put that away!"

Just as quick as it had been whipped out, Aella retracted the kunai once again. "Well just so we're clear."

"Ohh, we're clear," Knight said as he cleared his throat. He still couldn't help but smile as he started heading towards the inn. When he looked behind him, he realized that Aella wasn't following. "Aren't you coming in?"

Aella shook her head. "Not yet. I have some… business to take care of. It'll be quick. But you can relax until I get back." She turned her back to him about to head towards town.

"Oh yeah? Like what kind of 'business'?" Knight probed with interest.

"Well…I don't really wanna say… Just personal stuff…"

Knight could sense the anxiety in her words and the slight tension in her voice, even though she tried to conceal it. In fact, she had been on edge the whole trip it seemed. Being an observer of people most of his life, Knight had the unique ability to almost sense what people were feeling. He didn't need to use his powers to read people's minds for that. It was more like a natural trait that he possessed.

_I wonder if…_ Knight thought as he gently, subtly reached out to her with his mind. Though the ability to sense what others are feeling is good, knowing what they're thinking is better, especially when it came to women. At least that was Knight thought anyways.

With using only the minute amount of Psynergy he was, Knight barely was able to pick up on any of her thoughts. All he could make out was just a static sound. If it were anyone other than an Adept, Mind Read would be no problem. But unlike normal people, Aella _was_ an Adept. So that meant she could sense and even see the swirling energy around Knight whenever he used Psynergy. So using Psynergy and remaining undetectable with an Adept, especially a skilled one, was difficult if not impossible.

Knight increased the output of his Mind Read only slightly hoping not to gain Aella's attention; however, Aella jerked for a second as if hearing someone whisper in her ear. _Aww crap, _Knight thought as he backed out quickly.

"What was that? Did you…?" Aella eyed him suspiciously. Knight started to smirk which gave himself away. "I almost didn't even feel that. But when you pulled back, I could sense the trail you left behind which led straight to you. Plus…" Aella smiled. "…I heard you say 'aww crap.'"

"Ohh did you?" Knight chuckled nervously knowing that she'd bound to knock him senseless. "I'm sorry… I… I was just curious is all…" To his surprise, Aella didn't whale on him like he thought. She just kinda half-smiled at him mischievously.

"Ohh… you'll see soon enough," she said with a wink. "Just go inside and relax. And if you want, feel free to walk around town. But don't go into the mines. It's pretty easy to get lost in there. And I ain't goin in after you!"

"All right! I get it. Go on. I'll take care of things here. You do what you have to," Knight said.

Aella nodded and turned to leave. "I'll be back soon," she said. And with that, she ran off farther into town.

Knight gave her that second look, wondering what she had meant by "personal business" and why her tone sounded so… flirtatious. "Hmm… I wonder what she's up to."

WK WK WK WK

Aella had extreme reservations about going into the mines at night, but what choice did she have? The only way her informant would tell her anything was if they met in the mines. Ever since she'd mysteriously received the note right before she left Xian, she had been on edge. It had been very vague. The handwriting looked scribbled as if it was written fast or written by a preschooler. She wasn't even sure if this was a legitimate lead. Her instincts screamed out to her that this was a set-up. Everything about this whole situation told her that this was a trap of some kind. However, her determination to find out the truth to avenge her father's death drove her onward. She had no choice but to take any lead she could get.

She reached the main entrance for the mines a few minutes after leaving Knight at the inn. "It sure got dark quickly," Aella commented to herself. She peered around a tree to the mine entrance and, just as she was told, there was a single torch lit right inside the doorway with a red and black flag hanging off of it. "Looks like he's ready for me."

Aella briefly looked around again and then suddenly disappeared, reappearing a second later right outside the mine entrance. She peered around the corner looking for and traps that she'd no doubt encounter somewhere along the way. Seeing nothing but the burning lamp right inside, Aella rounded the corner and sank into a ready position, just in case. Nothing happened. No traps were sprung or anything.

"Weird…" she whispered. "I was almost sure the entrance would have been rigged…" Aella's eyes fell upon the five foot torch pole that was impaled in the ground. With the darkness that loomed ahead, Aella cautiously extracted the torch and proceeded.

The mines were cooler than the outside air; and the deeper Aella went, the colder the air seemed to become. As Aella followed the mine car tracks, she still kept a watchful eye out for any kind of trap. To her surprise, she hadn't sprung any traps at all. She was beginning to wonder if her informant was even here at all. She trekked deeper into the cavern feeling the chill tingle her bones. It had gotten so cold that she could actually see her breath! Still, she continued.

After about twenty minutes of walking, Aella spotted a much darker spot ahead of her on the ground. As she lifted the torch up, she saw that there was a huge gaping hole in the floor! And right next to the hole was a pole with a black and red ribbon tied around it.

"Great…" Aella remarked exasperatedly. She approached the hole cautiously and looked down. The mine car tracks fell into the hole almost like a perfect ladder some twenty or thirty feet. At the very bottom, Aella saw another lit torch with the signet black and red ribbons.

"Guess I can just leave this one here…" she said as she impaled her torch into the ground. She descended the make-shift ladder and jumped the last five feet, landing on her feet in perfect silence. Aella grabbed the torch and proceeded deeper past the small doorway in front of her.

She entered a larger room oddly lit by a dim light emanating somewhere on the far side. The dirt she'd been shuffling in thinned revealing a stone tile floor. Large support pillars lined the room along with several odd frog-like statues. Aella glanced at the statues and their grotesqueness, but paid them no mind and continued. The moment her feet stepped down onto the tile, however, the air seemed to become heavy, saturated. Like there was some kind of evil presence inhabiting the chamber, bearing down on her like an oppressive weight.

"Something's not right here…" she said as she slowed her pace. "…I just have that feeling…"

Suddenly, the hairs on her neck stood up and she heard the sound of rushing, gurgling water. She leapt and rolled just in time to avoid a chilly blast of water. Luckily the torch hadn't been extinguished by either the water or her leap and roll. When Aella turned around and lifted the torch up, she saw yet another blast of water coming towards her. Using her Quick Step, Aella easily phased out of harm's way and behind one of the rock formations.

"What the hell?! What's going on?" Aella stuck the torch in the ground on one side of the rock, and then looked around the opposite side of the rock. Her eyes fell upon a blue creature, similar to the frog statue, with glowing red eyes and long slithering tongue. As the creature slowly started to turn towards where Aella was hiding, she saw the intricate designs on the creature's back colored bright blue and red hues. The frog-like creature dug furrows into the ground with its long red claws as it growled at her.

"That's…!" Aella exclaimed. "That's one of the statue creatures that flooded these mines before! But I thought they had been defeated by a group from Vale! I should have known the moment I saw those statues…"

The creature reared back and fired another devastating water cannon. Aella phased out from behind the rock right before the rock exploded under the pressure from the attack. Seeing its prey come out of hiding finally, the creature fired a rapid volley of attacks. Using her transcendent speed ability Quick Step, Aella avoided and dodged all the attacks that came her way. Each water discharge created small divots in the ground where they had missed their intended target.

Aella gradually closed the gap between them. She reached for her dagger and when she was within striking range, she leapt up to impale the monster in the head with her blade. However, before she could deliver he lethal blow, another water attack pummeled her by from the side. Aella was flung into the mine wall with such force that the wall cracked. The blow was so intense that she got the wind knocked out of her. Dropping to her knees, Aella gasped for air and held her stomach. Dazed and wearied, Aella was barely able to look up at where that last attack had come from. To her surprise, there was another water beast!

"Another one…! But…" Aella wheezed still trying to catch her breath. _But why are these statues suddenly coming to life…?_ The two beasts had no reservations about holding back on weakened prey and went on the offensive. The first beast charged straight for Aella with surprising speed despite its size. Even though she had been hit, Aella was still able to easily avoid the water beast's diagonal slash by rolling out of the way. The beast dug four deep furrows into the wall where she just had been. Aella looked up just in time to see that the second beast had fired a water blast right where she had just rolled. Calling on her Jupiter powers, Aella managed to jump and elevate herself higher to avoid the attack. The water attack rocked the chamber causing loose rocks and dirt to fall from the ceiling.

While still in the air, Aella charged up her powers and then extended her hands and arms outward releasing a bright web of lightning. The effect lit up the room bright enough and long enough for Aella to see her surroundings. Her eyes went wide when she saw that two more frog statues had come to life, making the total four. The two newcomers fired shot of water at Aella as well. Luckily, she was close enough to the wall where she could springboard off of it and avoid getting hit. The attacks further rattled the chamber causing more debris to fall from the ceiling and walls.

"Argh… What's going on with these things? Doesn't matter! I'll take you all down!" Aella reached for her kunai knives and charged them up with her Jupiter powers. As soon as she touched ground, Aella cast the four sparking knife blades at each of the four water beasts. The blades crackled with static as small bolts leapt off of them. Each kunai flew true to their course hitting each of the four water beasts, discharging their electrical shock throughout their bodies. Aella smirked at the demise her opponents were suffering through. Though they had surprised her in the beginning, they were still no match for her skill in the end. Each of the four beasts shook violently for a few seconds as the electricity short-circuited them. The intense discharge of electricity liquefied the four water beast as they all became large puddles on the ground.

"That did it…!" Aella boasted proudly. "I knew that would work…" Her grin soon faded when she heard the sound of gurgling water. She steadied herself trying to figure out what was coming now. But when her eyes fell upon those four puddles, her expression dropped; those four puddles rose off the ground and morphed into the shapes of the beasts she had just defeated! She pulled out two kunai (one in either hand) and readied herself in a defensive position when those watery, transparent figures suddenly became solid, as they were before they were "defeated." The four beasts had Aella surrounded and eyed her ferociously, ready at a moment to attack.

Aella growled. "Argh… What's going on here? Why won't they die?"

"Ha ha ha ha…" a man's voice slowly laughed.

Aella tensed even more and looked around trying to pinpoint the location of the laugh. "Who's there? Show yourself!"

"My my… Almost thought you had lost your edge, Aella…"

"That voice," she whispered. "It sounds so… familiar. But it couldn't be…" The girl's ears focused in on where the male's voice was coming from. She looked over towards the water beast closest to the entrance and saw strolling from behind it a tall figure dressed in drab ninja clothing. She instantly recognized the man; but did a double take, as if not believing it was who she thought it was.

"But seems you still have it… mostly…"

"You! Zabuza! What are you doing here? And what's the meaning of this? And where is the informant? Or was that a trap just to lure me down here!?" Aella demanded.

"Hmph. No, no trap. See, I'm here on the master's behalf. You're no longer his right hand man. Or should I say right hand woman?" Zabuza smirked as he stretched the truth a little bit.

"What are you talking about? He specially picked me to do this mission! I'm…"

"…distracted," Zabuza finished, cutting her off her no doubt defense that she was still the master's right hand woman.

"Huh?" Aella tilted her head slightly not sure what he meant. _Distracted? I'm not distracted by anything. What is he talking about?_

"That's right. It's him. That boy… He's distracted you. You should have been able to easily dodge any attacks from these beasts. But your vision is clouded and your movements not as fast or sharp. The master's lost faith in you. He thinks that you've grown soft over the past few weeks. Probably 'cuz you've been around that boy so much."

"I'm not distracted!" Aella shot back angrily. "Nor have I grown soft! I know what my purpose is! And as far as the mission that he assigned to me, I was to gain his trust by whatever means necessary then bring him to the boss. However…"

"…However, you've failed to do so. And how many weeks has it been? Surely it doesn't take you this long to gain somebody's trust? I don't remember you ever taking this long before on a mission like this… Wait!" Zabuza stopped himself with a chuckle. "Could it be that you're falling for this guy…?"

"What!? No way! I've made it clear that I don't have time for anything like that! And I don't want anything to get in my way of avenging my father's death! I can't afford distractions! And I'm not distracted by him or anybody else!" Clenching her hands around her kunai blades, Aella could feel her Jupiter powers tingling with anger as sparks leapt off the edges of her kunai's.

"Hmph. You're awfully defensive about that… Makes me wonder if it's really true…" Zabuza trailed off. "But it seems he was right to question your loyalty."

"I am still loyal to him despite what you may think. And I'll still complete this mission like I have in the past," Aella replied defiantly.

"Oh it's not what I think… But still… The master wants to know for sure that you are still loyal to him. Wants you to prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt," Zabuza crossed his arms and smiled evilly sending shivers down Aella's spine.

"And how does he want me to show him that?" Aella asked with raised eyebrow. "Haven't I proven that to him already?"

"Mmmph… Well he wants you to severe any connections you might have to anyone you might have gotten close to. Put simply, he wants you to kill that boy," Zabuza stated coldly.

"What?! But… I thought he wanted this boy alive?" Aella's eyes went wide as she felt her mouth drop slightly. Kill Knight? She couldn't wrap her head around that idea. After all the trouble she went through to get him this far, why would he want her to kill him? Something just didn't seem right. _There must be something more he's not telling me… He couldn't want me to kill him… besides… I lo…_

"The boy doesn't matter to him anymore. Kill him and prove your unfailing loyalty to the boss."

Aella was stunned. Her eyes fell as if being told the worst news of her life. For some reason, she felt herself quiver with emotions. Being told to kill was nothing new to her, nor did it faze her like this. _Why…? _She thought in a small voice. _Why do I feel this way? Why do I feel so weird? This shouldn't bother me at all. Yet… in some small way… it does…_

Her mind went back to her first meeting with Knight and just how much he had impressed her since the very beginning. Then as she watched him over the next few days and seeing the tragedies he went through with the dojo and his girlfriend (now ex-girlfriend), she began to feel a bit sorry for him. And when she had seen him nearly beaten in the woods north of Xian, she couldn't help herself. She stepped in and saved his life. But what seemed to stick out most to Aella about Knight were the words he said to her right after.

"…_you're a sweet young girl with a good heart and some amazing skills. But someone like you deserves someone better than me. It's best if you just move on and forget about me. It was nice to meet you. And I wish the best for you."_

Aella never considered herself sweet or someone with a good heart. She had done some, simply put, shady and terrible things in her past. He was a very smart guy and surely he must have known that somehow. But he never once judged her. He accepted her for her. He showed her that she could love…

_What am I thinking? Maybe Zabuza is right… maybe he has made me soft… But, _she began rationalizing. _But, unlike everyone else I've ever known, he is true and genuine. And he is a nice guy through and through… I don't know if I could go through with this…_

"I…" she began slowly. "I see no need to kill him though. Surely he must see his potential and what a great asset he'd make…"

"Hmph. The boss thought you might say something like that. Which if you did, he authorized me to tell you this. See, your boy is not who you think he is."

Aella's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"He hasn't told you? About his past? About where he's from?" Zabuza inquired slyly. "I don't blame him really. A lot happened to him…"

"What?! Spit it out already!" Aella yelled in frustration as she stepped forward.

Zabuza lifted his hand to stop her. The water beasts got low as if to attack, but they didn't. Instead they merely growled at her, waiting for their chance to get her. Aella stopped but continued to stare her comrade down. But with the way he was acting right now, she was beginning to wonder if he could be called that at all.

"You may already know that he's an exile. However, what you don't know is that he was exiled from the town of Cyril."

"That's…!" Aella's eyes went wide. "That's the town my father went to a year ago in that raid! But…!?"

"Mmmhmm… That's right!" Zabuza commented with a wavy tone. "See, not only was your father there but Knight was there too, though he went by the name of Ryouto. In fact, he actually played a role in ending your father's life!"

"What!?" Aella felt herself go numb. "He couldn't have! My father was burned to death! at the hands of a Mars Adept! But Knight is a Jupiter Adept! He just couldn't have…!"

"I saw it with my own eyes," Zabuza cut her off. "I wouldn't have thought it possible either if I hadn't seen it. He killed three of my men and then killed you father. Burned him alive, quite literally, with his own hands. He fought like a man possessed." He smiled as he saw the conflict building up in her. "You see, he is the one you've been searching for! He's the one responsible for your father's death!"

"No… He… I don't believe it…" Aella stood there with her mouth open trying to comprehend his words. Her mind flashed back to the time she had spent with him and even before when she was watching him. He was a nice guy, gentlemanly, and genuine. He just didn't seem like the kind of person to kill anyone. There was just no way he was responsible for her father's death!

"I… I don't believe you…" she said with a slight quiver in her voice.

Zabuza smirked. "I have no reason to lie to you about this. If you would have asked him and he told the truth, you would know that I'm telling the truth. But, now that you know, what are you going to do? You gonna let your father's killer go unpunished? Hasn't that been the reason why you've trained so hard? To avenge his death? Well he's your chance! What's it gonna be?"

Aella stared dumbly at the man not entirely sure what to make of all of what he said. Something told her in her heart that he wasn't lying about this. However, another part of her refused to believe that Knight could have any part of her father's demise. She knew him, spent time with him, and had gotten to know how great a guy he really was. He was the nicest guy she had ever met. And even though they had just met, she felt like they had been friends for years. Even despite her tough, ninja exterior, he still treated her like a woman and not like an object. Nobody had ever made her feel the way he made her feel, which is why none of what he was saying about him seemed to line up with what she knew about him.

_I can't… I can't do this… I… _Aella clenched her fists. _I have to know the truth for myself. And I know who I have to talk to._

"Get out of my way. I have to talk to him myself to see if what you've said is really true or not."

"I would, but… to be honest," Zabuza began, "See, I've never really liked you. _I_ was supposed to be his right hand man. Yet he chose you right out of the blue. Even now, he still wants you back… But I don't. And like you, I have goals of my own. One of those, of course, is having you out of the picture."

"What?!" Aella tensed feeling a familiar tingle of static ripple across her skin. "You treacherous bastard!" she yelled throwing her kunai knives at him.

"Ah ah ah!" Zabuza said waving his finger at her. The water beasts growled fiercely as one of them shot a burst of water at the blades, deflecting them away harmlessly. She stopped suddenly being brought back to reality that she was surrounded by those things. "I can't have you running off to go warn him or anything. Nor can I have you kill him. Not yet at least. Not till I'm done with him…"

"Why? What interest do you have in him?"

"Surely you must know of the legendary sword Kurotenma?"

"Yeah I know of it. That's the cursed sword forged long ago said to rival the power of the Sol blade or even the Muramasa. But… what does that have to do with…?!" Then it hit her, the reason why Zabuza was so interested in him. Kurotenma was a blade so evil that when it was forged, it took upon itself a glossy black hue. And only the most powerful Adepts were able to wield the blade with little ill effect, or so it seemed. But still, even some of the most powerful Adepts could not fully suppress the raw tainted power of the blade. Eventually, all who wielded the blade were corrupted and were either consumed by it or were driven crazy. Somehow, Knight had that very blade! _It's not possible! _She thought with shocking revelation. _How can he…? How did he…?_

Her mind then flashed back to a few months before her father's passing. He had whispered to her the existence of a blade of such strength that was hued all black. She had thought he was crazy for even trying to find such a thing, but now she realized he must have been telling her the truth. He had found that blade! _I knew there was something different about his sword. I felt it the moment I was close to it. Didn't wanna believe it. I just never thought he could've gotten something so valuable. Wait… if my father truly did find that blade, but now Knight has it…_

"Ahh so you realize it now. Yes. He has it. Knight has the blade Kurotenma. And even though the boss wants that blade, I'll have it for myself. I can't have you interfering with my goals. So you can understand now why you are gonna die right here, right now. It was nice working with you." Zabuza started walking away from her towards the door when he sensed a flare up of electricity behind him.

"Hold it, Zabuza! You're not going anywhere!" Aella yelled. She summoned her Jupiter element and fired an intense bolt of lightning towards Zabuza.

Zabuza, with his back turned towards Aella, merely smiled at her attempt at his life, again. He weaved a familiar spell and instantly a wall of ice formed between him and the oncoming bolt. Aella's eye went wide seeing the display of a Water Adept's powers. When the lightning hit the thin barrier, the ice shattered and the electricity dispelled. Zabuza, not fazed at all, spoke calmly saying, "To be honest, Aella, I thought you would have attacked me sooner and more often. I'm kinda disappointed. I was prepared anyways. Have fun with my little pets. May we never see each other again." Zabuza went through the doorway and summoned a substantial barricade of ice to seal off the entryway, leaving Aella stuck to deal with the four beasts.

"Damn it!" Aella cursed. "I didn't know he was a Water Adept…! I should have sensed it before this …" Aella knew that breaking through that thick ice wall was going to be very difficult. But she still had to try. She had unfinished business left to do. "Knight won't stand a chance against him. Not against a Water Adept who has a slight elemental advantage over Jupiter Adepts…" Aella clenched her hands as she sensed the water beasts fire their water attacks at her. Dodging the first volley easily, Aella eyed them with new vigor. "But looks like, in order to find answers to my questions, I have to take care of these guys first."

Zabuza smiled evily hearing the battle commence behind him. "And now to collect my prize!" He summoned his powers to bring him back to the mine entrance. His plan was in full effect now. Even if Aella managed to survive, she wouldn't be able to stop him now.


End file.
